


Kylo's Knights (A Fixated Story)

by Lunaxxx



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Epic Bromance, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Jealous Kylo Ren, Knights of Ren Absolutely Obliterating Everybody, M/M, Master Ren, Missions, Mutual Pining, Romance, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:54:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 35,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21652591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunaxxx/pseuds/Lunaxxx
Summary: When Master Ren sets his eye on a particularly gifted scholar, his knights are thrown for a loop as they adjust to their new "family" dynamic.Crude banter, drunken fights, and a whole bunch of fluffy, protective-Knights-of-Ren content ensues.A companion fic toFixated,intended to be read together. Now featuring a Knights of Renplaylist.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Knights of Ren, Knights of Ren/Original Female Character(s), Kylo Ren/Reader, Kylo Ren/You
Comments: 231
Kudos: 402





	1. Vardos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I’m super excited to share this with you. My friend @ SusanDrakian gave me the idea to write the Jawa recon from the knight's POV. So I decided to create a companion fic to [Fixated ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18774385/chapters/44540056) all together. because I'm extra as hell.
> 
> This first chapter takes place between chapters [ six ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18774385/chapters/47065273%E2%80%9D) and [ seven ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18774385/chapters/47432596) of Fixated, during the two month time jump. 
> 
>   
> **Read about/see my knights[ here.](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1atpuK9dTb7kByhonl6SNQRD3UbB04jGniQSQNSwch2o/edit)** artist [ credit. ](https://randomlymad.tumblr.com)  
> 

### Vardos

Fitting six, hulking men into the Supreme Leader’s shuttle was like piecing together a puzzle.

A large, _dangerous_ puzzle, where the pieces didn’t feel like cooperating.

  
Possibly because the pieces happened to be 6’4 tall, moody, Force-sensitive warriors. Currently at their wits end with one another.

  
“Kick me _one_ more time Mika and I swear I’ll shove that axe down your gullet,” Shiro warned, shoving Mika’s foot off of him.

  
Mika jolted at the touch. “I’d like to see you try, pretty boy.”

  
Shiro laughed humorlessly, looking down as he scratched his head. “Pretty boy,” he repeated, incredulous. He looked back up at Mika. “Pretty boy? You sure you wanna call me that right now?”

  
Mika narrowed his eyes. “Pretty. Boy.”

  
Shiro lept across the small common area, his body bulldozing through Mika. The other knights groaned and moved out of the way, clutching onto their weapons. Grunts and thuds came from the two men, tumbling around on the floor, each one attempting to get the upper hand.

  
_“Enough,”_ Kane hissed, leaning down to grab Shiro’s shoulder.

  
Shiro ignored Kane, going for Mika’s throat. He yanked harder, calling out to his twin brother for help. “Zakra, subdue Mika.”

  
Zakra swooped in, and together, the twins yanked the wrestling men apart. They both shoved off the brothers, rolling their shoulders. Zakra and Kane stepped back, yet still ready to pounce if necessary.

  
Kane growled at them. “You heard Master Ren, you are to _behave_ during this assignment.”

  
Mika’s face burned a deep, red color. “Shiro started it!”

  
Shiro smiled. “Yeah. You heard the man, Mika. You gotta _behave.”_

  
A hand smacked Shiro in the back of the head.

  
“What-” he turned around, grabbing his head, “Kane, what the kriff man, that was uncalled for!”

  
Kane narrowed his eyes. “Enough.” He shot daggers at Mika. “Both of you.”

  
Mika held up his hands in surrender and slowly took a seat on the floor.

  
Pouting, Shiro sat down on a cargo box, rubbing his head. “Uncalled for,” he muttered.

  
Kane sighed, leaning against the wall. His comrades surrounded him on either side- on the ground, on the cargo boxes.

  
“What’s our angle, brother?” Zakra asked Mika, looking over at him with his arms folded across his chest.

  
Shiro answered for him. “Find Master Ren’s enemy.” A wide grin reached his lips. “And slit his fucking throat.”

  
Kane ignored him. “We stick together. Vardos is a friend to the First Order. There is no need to hide our identities, as long as we don't use the Force.”

  
“Aww,” Akai said, squatting on the ground, “I wanted to practice my new move today.”

  
Jaek rolled his piercing blue eyes. “Master Ren made it very clear that we are _just_ gathering intel. That means no Force damage. Sorry, we can’t torture anyone today.”

  
Akai gave him a smug look, pushing his dark hair from his eyes. “Speak for yourself.”

  
Kane nodded at Jaek. “Thank you, Jaek. Just intel- no weapons.” He glared at Shiro, then Mika. “Do you understand?”

  
Shiro gave him that charming smile, while Mika smirked. They spoke simultaneously. “Of course.”

  
Zakra nodded towards Mika. “And who is our target, exactly?”

  
Shiro interjected again while stretching his legs out in front of him. “Someone named Jawa.”

  
Zakra knit his brows and looked at Shiro. “Like those little shits from Tatooine?”

  
Mika laughed. “Oh yeah, the ones that stole Shiro’s pants right off his drunk ass that one night,” he snorted, eyes gleaming at Shiro. He let out another boisterous laugh. “Good times.”

  
A collective burst of laughter filled the room from all the knights. Except from Shiro. He crossed his arms. “I don’t remember that.”

  
Akai hummed with amusement. “That’s because you were shitfaced,” he mused, cocking his head to the side. “I’m pretty sure you thought you were getting laid, but they just fucked you over.”

  
Another round of laughter. Shiro looked around the shuttle, glaring at all of them. “Anyways,” he said, clearing his throat. “No. Jawa is a humanoid. Who just so happens to be on Master Ren’s shit list, so, here we are.”

  
Mika nodded, his face etched with grave seriousness. “A real piece of work, from what he’s heard. But his source isn’t entirely telling, so yes, Shiro, here we are.”

  
Zakra shuffled his feet. “Who is the source?”

  
“That hot little thing he’s been fucking,” Mika said, grinning.

  
A hum of agreement amongst the shuttle.

  
Kane rolled his eyes. “No and _no._ The interpreter.”

  
Shiro put his arms up and looked at him, giving him the best, _you're an idiot_ look he could. “That’s who we are talking about, Kane.”

  
Kane’s forehead creased. “They aren’t… engaging in sexual activity.”

  
Shiro raised a single eyebrow. “Okay. But she is still smoking hot.”

  
A short, impatient sigh. “It doesn’t matter what she looks like,” Kane said, irritated. “Now settle down for fuck’s sake. I can hear all your dirty thoughts from over here.”

  
“Not from me, you don’t,” Jaek chimed in, eyes closed. “Not my type.”

  
Akai sighed and muttered under his breath. “Here we go.”

  
Silence, and then Mika grimaced. “Gross, dude.”

  
Jaek smiled and gave him the middle finger without looking at him.

  
“Quiet,” Kane hissed, glaring at Mika.

  
He obeyed.

  
A silence settled in the shuttle. The knights were getting close to their target planet- they could sense it.

  
Vardos.

  
There was a shift in the common area. The chaotic, argumentative energy transformed into a deep, meditative pensiveness.

  
They had a job to do. And it was game time.  
****

**\-----**

The knights squinted as they strode through the bleak, cemented streets of Vardos. The red sun beat down and spilled a vibrant glow against the pavement. A dense, humid cloud of smog hung low in the atmosphere, hugging the tops of the windowless, cement skyscrapers.

“Kriffing _hells,_ this place is drab,” Mika mumbled, walking beside his best friend.

Shiro frowned. “You’re not wrong.”

  
Their footsteps pounded through the streets, their black attire blending right in with the aesthetic of a once-Imperial utopia. It remained exactly the same as it did all those years ago during the rule of the Empire, except now, it’s purpose was to serve the First Order.

Stormtroopers in training ran past them, their gear clanking and thunking against each other as they did. Locals hurried about, mostly in uniform, to tend jobs or classes. To their right was the Imperial Academy, a prestigious place for learning the ways of war and military tactics. Word on the street is, General Hux is insisting they change their name- despite their absolute commitment to the Order.  
  
They spent a while walking through the central part of the city, taking note of the layout and observing the locals. Nobody asked them why they were on Vardos- though this didn’t surprise them. The natives saw the Supreme Leader’s ship, presumably, and they knew better than to ask questions.

  
Thirty minutes later, it wasn’t until they reached the outskirts of town that they found what they were looking for.

  
The Vardos trading post, run by the target himself.

  
Kane stopped on the sidewalk, and the other’s followed. “Mika and Zakra, hang around this courtyard. Blend in. Akai and Jaek, position yourselves over there,” he directed, pointing across the street by a food stand. “Shiro, with me.”

  
A wave of affirmation spread through the knights. Akai and Jaek sauntered off, glancing at the trading post as they did.

  
Mika narrowed his eyes at Kane. “Why do I have to stay behind?”

  
Kane didn’t miss a beat. “You’re the muscle in the group. We need you in a place where you can see _all_ of us, in case we need you.”

  
Mika considered Kane’s words before nodding. “On it.”

  
“Great,” he said, glancing at Zakra. “We will be back shortly.”

  
His twin slapped his back. “See you soon, brother.”

  
Mika and Zakra sat down on a bench and took out their datapads, blending in with the others in the area. Across the street, Jaek and Akai were in a heated argument, each of them holding a skewer of meat in their hands.

  
Shiro eyed Kane as they walked towards the trading post. “I see what you did there.”

  
Heavy boots pounded on the asphalt. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  
Shiro smirked. “We all know _I’m_ the muscle of the group. You were just telling Mika that so he didn’t get his feelings hurt.”

  
Kane's jaw clenched. “Quiet, Shiro.”

  
Shiro rubbed his hands together excitedly, his biceps bulging out of his black, short-sleeved tunic. “Aye aye, captain.”

  
They made it the front door- two massive, black masses with unkind, unsmiling faces. Determined and deadly.

  
Kane’s voice lowered to a whisper. “Let’s do this.”

  
“Ready,” Shiro breathed, walking through the doors of the cement, brightly lit trading post.

  
The inside looked just as drab as the outside. Piles of junk filled every corner, every crevice. Locals wandered through the aisles, looking at items as they _hmmmed,_ considering taking it home. To their right, a bird-like alien species was arguing with another customer in a different language, holding something that looked like an ancient lamp.

  
Kane went to the right, Shiro went to the left, feigning interest in the shelved items in the middle of the room.

  
“That’s 65 credits,” a low, rugged voice boomed across the room.

  
Shiro and Kane made eye contact across from each other, over the shelves.

  
A creature at the register squawked at him, presumably making a counteroffer, before the man spoke again. “65 credits, or I keep it myself.”

  
The creature sighed before dejectedly placing his credits on the counter.

  
The tall, cowled man smiled at him from across the register. “Thank you, come again.”

  
The creature grabbed it’s item and mumbled to himself, waddling off.

  
Shiro cleared his throat and made his way to the next aisle, closer to Kane and the man behind the counter.

  
He picked up a rusted, metal speeder part that looked like it belonged in the trash.

  
That deep, rough voice again. “Five credits, for a man that serves our Supreme Leader.”

  
Shiro slowly met the man’s gaze. He quickly gave him a charming smile. “Are we that obvious?”

  
The man nodded. “Vardos is an important planet. Small, but important. We got word of the Supreme Leader’s shuttle the second it entered our atmosphere.” He paused, scratching his beard with his thick, meaty fingers. “What you here for?”

  
Kane chimed in, walking towards him, trailing his finger along the side of the shelf. “Just visiting.”

  
The man smiled- a cold, twisted thing. “Business or pleasure?”

  
“Business,” Shiro said, placing the piece down on the shelf. “Though you can always entice me with pleasure.”

  
“Is that so?” The man looked at Shiro, then back at Kane, then back to Shiro.

  
The knights looked at each other. They sensed something terrible about this man.

  
Kane cleared his throat. “I’m Kane,” he said, crossing the space to the credit register. “And you are?”

  
The man stood up taller, if that were even possible, and brushed off his dirty, olive-green colored tunic. “Jawa.”

  
“Hi Jawa,” Shiro chimed in, pleasantly. He situated himself next to Kane, facing their target. “I’m Shiro.”

  
Jawa rubbed his hands together. “Shiro, Kane” he boomed, “nice to meet you. I’m-” he paused, his face draining of color when the door opened behind him.

  
The knights casually turned around to see a tall, cowled man walk in the shop. He stopped, entirely at ease, and watched Jawa with those black eyes, his hands behind his back.

“Ah, excuse me, gentlemen,” Jawa said, urgently moving around the counter to greet his visitor.

  
Shiro held up his hands. “No problem, we will just be here, checking out your… treasure.”

  
Jawa basically ran to the front of the shop, speaking at his visitor with a low voice. “Vik, you know you can’t-” he cut off, clearing his throat. He very non-stealthily nodded his head behind him, gesturing to the two knights. The man glared at them, in which Shiro responded with a wave, and Kane glared back. Jawa nervously smiled at them.

  
The knights watched as the two men left the store, speaking in hushed tones outside.

  
Kane and Shiro looked at each other, distraught. Clearly, their presence was impeding some very important, totally _legal_ business Jawa had to tend to.

  
Little did they know it didn’t matter how far away they were. They could still pick up on their conversation.

  
A loud clatter caught Shiro’s attention and he whipped his head towards the credit register. A single, dinged-up can of soup came rolling across the floor. Curious, he looked up to see a young, beautiful woman peeking out at them, her body half-hidden by the wall.

  
Shiro whistled at the now distracted Kane, who was listening to Jawa's conversation.

  
She backed away, her mouth open in a slight _o._

  
Shiro slowly raised his hands. “Hey there,” he coaxed, “it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  
The woman stopped, her big eyes unblinking, her bottom lip trembling.

  
Kane slowly approached Shiro. “Shiro- Oh. Hi.” He cocked his head, trying to gauge how old she was. “Is your mom here?”

  
She shook her head. She hesitated before she spoke, her voice just a whisper. “No, sir, his mistress died.”

  
Shiro and Kane looked at each other, then back to the young woman. “Is Jawa your father?”

  
She opened her mouth before closing it just as fast. Her eyes found the ground, biting her lip before answering. “I don’t know.”

  
She looked so scared, Shiro wanted to reach out and embrace her, to tell her it’s okay. He tilted his head to the side and offered her a warm smile. “Okay, then. Well, I’m Shiro. What’s your name?”

  
The door behind them opened, and the girl gasped, running away.

  
Jawa came bursting through the doors, the man he was speaking to long gone. A cruel, vicious snarl emanated from his throat. “Keykki! You get back here, girl!”

  
The knights stepped away, allowing space for Jawa to walk through. He turned to them, agitated. “Afraid we are closed now, fellas. Come back another time.”

  
They nodded, attempting to hide their disgust. Despite Jawa’s attempt to keep it from them, they now knew _everything.  
  
_

And it took every last ounce of self control from both of them to _not_ snap his fucking neck.

  
Wordlessly, they exited the store, a heaviness hanging around them. Jaek and Akai, and Zakra and Mika on either side of the street looked at both of them.  
  
Shiro nodded at both groups of knights, and they all ambled over to where they were standing. Shiro led the way, walking towards the docking bay.

  
They walked quite sometime before speaking. Even Mika knew better than to talk.

  
Eventually, Zakra fell in line next to Shiro. “Well? What did you find out?”

  
From behind, Kane blew through them, agitated. “His occupation.”

  
The other knights looked at each other, confused.

  
“He’s a junk trader,” Akai started, “right?” Jaek finished.

  
Shiro sighed, running his hand through his hair as he led them up the ramp. “No.”

  
The knights settled themselves within the cramped common area. Everyone sat down but Kane, his hands on his hips, his lips pulled down into a frown.

  
Mika threw up his hands. “Any day now, my guy.”

  
Shiro sighed, leaning his back against the wall. Stoic.

  
The knights glanced at one another as the ramp began to close, steam rising from the engines as the shuttle roared to life.

  
Kane delivered the intel. “He's a human trafficker.”

  
Mika grimaced. “Like…”

  
Kane nodded. “Yes. For sex.”

  
“Fuck,” Zakra breathed.

  
A solemness settled in the shuttle, a heaviness that was almost too dense to bear. It was Zakra who finally broke the silence.

  
“So, what next brother?”

  
Shiro answered for him. “Time to take this motherfucker down.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming up next... we will see the Umbara rescue of Scholar via their POV (maybe), the second round of recon with Jake/Akai (maybe) and then definitely the first day on Batuu. 
> 
> Moving forward, we will catch up with the current timeline in Fixated, and I will post the knight's assignments, relationships, etc all from their POV. Please note, this first chapter was pretty much just the narrator's POV, but other chapters will hone in on specific knights (such as Shiro 😋).
> 
>   
> **Read about/see my knights[ here.](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1atpuK9dTb7kByhonl6SNQRD3UbB04jGniQSQNSwch2o/edit)**  
> 


	2. Umbara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The knights accompany Master Ren on D-98's rescue mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! So this chapter takes place concurrently with chapters [ 10, ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18774385/chapters/48668417) [ 11, ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18774385/chapters/49402058#workskin) and [ 12 ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18774385/chapters/49752314#workskin) of Fixated, but in Shiro's (condensed) POV. it's long, with lots of chapter breaks, and nothing really _that_ new (except, some important tidbits regarding future plot points hehe) but it's vital for Shiro's character development since this fic will heavily be based around him.
> 
> I recommend skimming through chapter 11 if you don't remember what happened. not 100% necessary, but might be helpful. [ this ](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1atpuK9dTb7kByhonl6SNQRD3UbB04jGniQSQNSwch2o/edit) too.

### 

Umbara

Shiro was tired. Shiro was cranky. Shiro just wanted a nap.

  
Mika pounded on his door. “Shiro!”

  
Shiro opened one eye, his hands clasped on his stomach, before promptly closing it again. He didn’t feel like talking to anyone right now.

  
Another pound.

  
“I know you’re in there, asshole! Open up!”

  
Shiro closed his eyes tighter, trying to focus on _not_ focusing on Mika.

  
The knocking, the shouting, the profanities faded away. He leaned into his connection with the Force, allowing it to take him to a meditative state.

  
He sighed, tension leaving his body with every passing second. A blissful feeling nipped at his toes. Shiro was so close to victory- _so_ close to falling asleep. After the last few weeks of being worked into the ground by Master Ren, all he wanted was an afternoon to himself.

  
But then a loud bang broke his focus, a large item propelling across the room with a loud _clatter._

  
“SHIRO!” Mika yelled, his boots pounding on something that sounded like metal as he entered Shiro’s quarters.

  
Shiro tensed and remained still. Eyes closed, he spoke through gritted teeth. “Mika,” he seethed, “did you just break my fucking door down again?”

  
A beat. “Uhhhh-”

  
“Tell me that when I open my eyes, my door will still be on its hinges. Over there,” he said, pointing with his eyes still closed, “where it’s supposed to be.”

  
“Can’t do that, boss.” Shiro could hear the grin on Mika’s face.

  
In one swift, lithe movement, Shiro sprung to this feet, meeting Mika in the center of his room. “This is the third time I’ve had to replace my door because of you.” He gestured down at the discarded door that Mika was standing on. “Was that _really_ necessary?”

  
“Um, yes, I was worried about you.” Mika put his hands up in defense. “And hey, the first time wasn’t my fault. The second wasn’t either. I _really_ thought you were trapped.”

  
Shiro sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “And this time, Mika? Is this your fault, or are you completely void of blame? Like always?”

  
Mika frowned. “Not my fault. You weren’t answering the commlink or my datapad messages,” Mika complained. “Nor were you being receptive to my Force probe.” Shuffling of feet. “What’s up with that?”

  
Shiro blinked. “Wow, it’s almost like I didn’t want to be bothered.” Deadpan. “Would you imagine that.”

  
Mika rolled his eyes. “Stop being so dramatic. We are all tired.”

  
He threw daggers at his best friend, turning around to his dresser. “I’ve been sent to Vardos more times than I can count, running a fool’s errand. Meanwhile, you’ve been here, jacking off.” Shiro stilled, thinking. “And in the cafeteria.”

  
“I don’t jack off _in_ the cafeteria,” Mika snorted. “And yeah, we get it, you’re the favorite.”

  
Shiro scoffed, opening his middle drawer. “I’m not the _favorite,”_ Shiro asserted, digging around for a shirt, “I’m just better at reconnaissance than you are.”

  
Mika scrunched his face up in offense. “That’s not true.”

  
A laugh from Shiro. “Yes, it is.”

  
“No, _it’s not.”_ He childishly crossed his arms, shaking his head.

  
Shiro found a shirt and looked at it before bringing it to his face, inhaling deeply. He pulled it back, grimacing, but shrugged and put it on anyway. “Yeah, whatever big guy. What do you want?”

  
Mika glared at him before sighing, stepping over the door. “Master Ren needs us.”

  
Shiro cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders, tense. “Yeah? What now?”

  
“Something about that hottie with a body,” Mika winked. “She was taken on their assignment.”

  
Shiro froze, whipping his head at Mika. “D-98? _Taken?_ Like from an enemy?”

  
“Yep and yep.”

  
Dread settled in his lower belly. “When?”

  
“Earlier this week, I think.”

  
"Why are we just now getting called in?"

  
"I don't know," Mika shrugged, nonchalant. "I think the 'troopers attempted a rescue already but failed." He grinned. "Obviously."

  
Anger rattled him to his core. Jaw tense, he huffed, glaring at Mika. “This isn't funny, Mika. Why didn't you tell me right away?”

  
He deepened his wicked smile. “I see you have a favorite, too.”

  
“You fucking moron,” Shiro barked, slamming into Mika as he powered through the doorway, boots pounding down the corridor.

  
Mika peeked his head out of his doorless quarters, yelling after him. “Hey! Where you goin’? Come back!”

  
Shiro didn’t turn around to respond. “To find Master Ren, you dumb prick!”

**\----**

The bridge on the Finalizer was a madhouse.

  
Officer’s running. Lieutenants yelling. Colonel’s panicking. And those unfortunate enough to be near Supreme Leader Ren- well, they were hiding.

  
Black boots assaulted the floor, pacing back and forth. “I should have you executed for this,” Kylo growled through his mask, the anger suffocating those around him.

  
Hux didn’t react. “No one’s safety is ever guaranteed-”

  
A hand shot out, and Hux’s body slid across the floor, right into Master Ren’s grasp.

  
Kane shuffled next to him, and Shiro radiated smugness, watching the General’s throat get crushed under his strength. _You deserve that, fire crotch._ He considered adding his own taste of torture, but didn’t want to step on Master Ren’s toes.

  
Hux gasped, his face turning red as his hair. Shiro tilted his head to the side, amused. Clearly, he misjudged the Supreme Leader’s feelings for D-98.

  
_Well. We all did._

  
“Especially _your_ safety, General,” he hissed, gripping him harder. “We have wasted enough time as it is. I will not listen to your excuses any longer. Do you understand?”

  
Master Ren lessened his hold on him to allow him to speak.

  
Hux sucked down air. “I didn’t know-”

  
His hand latched onto his neck again. “You smug, foolish son of a _whore,”_ he seethed. “If D-98 dies because of your blinding, unwavering arrogance, I will have you publicly tortured and executed.” Leather creasing around his throat. “Now, I said, _do you understand?”_

  
Hux pathetically nodded.

  
Kylo slammed his hand down and let Hux out of his grasp. The scrawny weasel clambered to his feet, smoothing out his uniform. Shiro glared at him.

  
Kylo approached them, his anger so bitter, he could taste it like his own. It got him going. “Kane, Shiro.”

  
In unison. “Yes, Master.”

  
“Grab the others and go to the arsenal,” he commanded, fists taut. “We leave for Umbara at 1700.”

**\----**

Umbara was called the Shadow World for a reason, Shiro mused, as he led the knights off the transport.

  
Pitch black except for the generators, with low, thick fog, there wasn’t one pleasant thing about this place.

  
Master Ren approached them, speaking harshly through his vocoder. “We will take the speeders to the rendezvous point, and continue on foot the rest of the way.”

  
They spoke in unison. “Yes, Master.’

  
One curt nod from Kylo and the knights got on their bikes, thirsty for blood.

  
Once they arrived at their meeting point, Kylo instructed the rest to stay back, only taking Shiro and Kane for the actual rescue.

  
Shiro wasn’t surprised.

  
What he was surprised about, however, is why it took Master Ren so damn long to call on them in the first place. A week in captivity was long enough to drive anyone insane.

  
That’s why, when they finally reached D-98’s cell block, Shiro beelined it to her as fast as possible.

  
His fingers twitched around the handle of his blade as they approached her, plowing through the guards like it was a game. He only took down one of them, as did Kane, while Master Ren took it upon himself to take care of the rest.

  
He made each attack personal, spending extra time with each victim.

  
Shiro didn’t blame him.

  
Finding D-98 was easy enough- all he had to do was follow her energy. He could feel her fear and anxiety the second he arrived. So palpable, he could almost reach out and touch it.

  
Wordlessly, Master Ren signaled for Shiro to advance while he obliterated the last two Umbaran’s in D-98’s cell block. Kane situated himself at one end of the corridor, while Shiro advanced to collect the precious cargo. With one wave of his hand, the lock snapped off her cell door. He kicked it open and slipped inside.

  
She squinted in the dark, her bottom lip wavering. “Who are you?”

  
Shiro didn’t speak; he didn’t want to scare her even more.

  
He shuffled, subconsciously repositioning the blade in his hands. Waiting for Ren.

  
She scooted backward, pulling on her chain to get as far away from him as possible. “Don’t come near me.”

  
_Okay, maybe I should have said something._ Shiro winced, his mind racing. _But what could I possibly say? Hi, my name is Shiro? And even though I’m holding this giant blade dripping with blood, I’m actually a nice guy that’s just misunderstood? So uh, let's be friends?_

  
Shiro focused on her, her body trembling with fear. He was going to step forward, to introduce himself, but commotion outside stopped him. Footsteps, a gasp, and the sound of a falling body.

Shiro sighed. _Too easy._

  
One of them found a light, flooding her small cell with a warm glow.

  
In came Master Ren. “Scholar.”

  
Shiro watched her blink away her tears, mouth slightly open. “Supreme Leader.”

  
Kylo rolled his neck and shoulders, the tension and hatred rolling off of him in thick waves. He offered a hand, and D-98 ignored it altogether. Instead, she jumped on him.

  
They exchanged a few words, mostly just her blubbering, and Shiro shuffled uncomfortably. He knew that Master Ren liked her, _especially_ because of his intent to obliterate Jawa, but he didn’t know it was like _this._ Like they were in love, or something weird like that.

  
His girl gasped in his arms, leaning in to leave kisses all over his mask. He thought four was enough, but she didn’t seem to want to stop.

  
_Alright, time to head out._

  
Wordlessly, Shiro slipped out through the cell door. “Success,” he murmured, nodding at Kane. “Let’s move to the rendezvous point.”

  
Kane gave him a grim nod, hoisting his flame thrower over his shoulder. They led the way back to the generators, Master Ren and D-98 not too far behind.

  
There was a quick exchange of words as they approached the others. A thick fog hung around them, impeding their vision even more from behind their masks. It didn’t matter though- they could sense _everything._ They melted into the shadows, standing next to each other in complete silence. The mood was serious, heavy.

  
They still had a job to do.

  
Through the fog, Shiro saw Master Ren approach with his interpreter in his arms. Slowly, he and the others emerged from the dark.

  
He sensed her sheer panic as she saw them. Shiro could hear her little whisper from where he was standing. “Kylo, who are they?”

  
Simultaneously, they got down on one knee.

  
His voice carried through the dark. “My knights.”

**\----**

Riding those speeders in the absolute dark was the most fun Shiro has had in months.

  
The feeling of the bike vibrating below him, the roar of the engine, the adrenaline from solely relying on the Force to guide him- _all_ of it. Especially those terrified gasps coming from the little interpreter, clinging onto Master Ren for dear life.

  
Shiro laughed to himself. _How cute._

  
“What could possibly be funny right now?” Kane asked, stepping around a puddle in the meadow.

  
“Don’t worry about it.”

  
Kane turned his mask towards him, staring.

  
Shiro twirled his blade in his hands, ignoring him.

  
“Shiro.”

  
“Kane,” he said in a grave tone, mocking him.

  
A sigh came from Kane. “I know what you’re thinking. And it’s dangerous, Shiro. I-”

  
Shiro nudged Kane, promptly shutting him up. The meadow fell silent, the pounding rain the only sound for miles.

  
Out came Master Ren, storming down the ramp after securing D-98 inside. Shiro quickly scanned the area. Besides the six of them, and Kylo, a handful of Stormtrooper’s patrolled the two shuttles, periodically glimpsing over at the knights.

  
The others crowded around Shiro and Kane, waiting for their Master to give them orders. It didn’t take long.

  
“You three,” Kylo growled, pointing to Jaek, Akai, and Zakra. “Aid the General in finding the source of interference.”

  
“Yes, Master.”

  
“You,” he said, gesturing towards Shiro, Mika, and Kane, “with me.” Kylo whipped around, his boots squelching in the mud as he took off.

  
Shiro couldn’t handle his excitement as they followed him. “We gonna cut off Loatha’s head, master?”

  
An elbow found Shiro’s ribs. “Shut up,” Kane hissed.

  
Mika laughed as Shiro called out in pain, while Master Ren ignored them altogether.

  
Finding the men hiding amongst the trees was easy, with a little help from the Force. Master Ren and his three best fighters ambushed them and obliterated them with ease.

  
About thirty minutes in, Shiro had an epiphany.

  
_Screw the speeder bike. Slicing Umbarans in half is the most fun I've had in months._

  
He grunted, putting his entire weight into bringing his curved blade down on one poor, unsuspecting Umbaran. He went down silently, but his face said it all.  


  
Shiro almost laughed. _Man, that must hurt._

  
He didn’t have much time to admire his fresh kill before another one emerged from the dark. He lunged at Shiro, jumping on his back. With a grunt, Shiro clutched onto his neck and pulled him right off his back, slamming him onto the ground with a heavy thud. One swipe of his blade, and his head disconnected with his body. The man’s tongue lolled out of his mouth, his eyes stuck wide open and bloodshot.

  
Shiro grimaced. _Not a good look, my guy._

  
Within moments, another group of men melted out from the shadows: therefore drawing the other three knights over to assist them.

  
Interference or not, they couldn’t leave their brothers to fend for themselves.

  
“Fuck yeah!” Next to him, Mika sliced two men in half with one swipe, laughing boisterously. “GET FUCKED!” he exclaimed again, even louder, taking a second to pound his chest with his fists.

  
Shiro rolled his eyes and called out to him amongst the chaos. “We aren’t done yet, Mika!”

  
It wasn’t clear how much time passed, but it didn’t matter to them. They could do this all night.

  
Shiro and his brothers worked tirelessly amongst one another, their unique fighting styles complementing each other in one powerful, graceful, synchronized battle. Everyone was feeling satisfied and confident that they had slain almost the entire Umbara population by now.

  
Until Shiro heard a strangled scream coming from one of the transports. It was faint over the sound of rain, but he _knew_ he heard something. He snapped his head behind him towards the meadow, his heart dropping.

  
It was exactly what he feared.

  
Through the trees, he saw two Stormtroopers at the base of Kylo’s shuttle, lifeless.

  
Everything moved in slow motion as Shiro bolted for the transport, gracefully jumping over dead bodies as he did. Stormtroopers uselessly tended to their fallen comrades, seemingly ignoring the fact that Master Ren’s precious cargo was in danger.

  
Behind him, Shiro vaguely sensed his brothers following him. A shout here, a shout there. An overwhelming sense of urgency. He sensed more enemies closing in, but Shiro didn’t have time to neutralize them.

  
He had to rely on his brothers for that.

  
Shiro gritted his teeth as a blaster shot sped over his head, courtesy of Akai. He jumped over a dead Stormtrooper and glanced to his right, quickly scanning the area. Working back to back with Zakra, Mika’s ax hummed to life as he helped the others take down the remaining assailants. It was easy for them.

  
That left Shiro one job: save Master Ren’s girl.

  
Footsteps pounded up the ramp as he entered the shuttle, his eyes darting to D-98, cornered against the wall, with one big, ugly Umbaran towering over her.

  
Shiro didn’t hesitate.

  
His curved blade sliced through the man’s neck like butter. With a thud, his head rolled across the floor, making a heavy, wet sound as it did.

  
Shiro smirked under his mask. _How many is that today? Eleven? Twelve? Kriff, I should start a collection._

  
“Oh my stars, oh my stars,” D-98 whispered, bending over. She looked like she was going to be sick.

  
_Oh, right._ Shiro took a tiny step towards her. “You’re okay.”

  
He watched as she nodded, her face drained of color. She stumbled forward, and Shiro outstretched his hand to her.

  
Shiro’s heart swelled as her little body leaned into his, her hand gripping him to the point of pain.

  
_Poor girl._

  
Walking down the ramp into the meadow probably wasn’t the best idea, Shiro mused. Bodies were everywhere, soaking in puddles of blood and rain. Stormtroopers ran around, tending to their injured friends. The rest of the knights were no longer near the shuttles, but he sensed them nearby with Master Ren.

  
Shiro spoke in her ear. “You’re okay. He’s coming.”

  
She nodded, clutching onto him with those little hands. Within moments, Kylo and his brothers emerged from the dark, with a disgruntled Hux not far behind.

  
D-98 let go of Shiro, and he immediately got down on one knee. “Master Ren.”

  
Shiro didn’t need to look up to know he went straight to his interpreter. The interpreter _he_ saved, thank you very much.

  
“Scholar,” Kylo cooed, embracing her in his black, drenched-in-blood tunic.

  
Shiro and the rest of the knights shifted uncomfortably, still getting accustomed to seeing Master Ren treat somebody so tenderly.

  
There was Jeyne, Shiro remembered, but it was nothing like _this._ A pang of sadness shot through him. _That poor girl played with fire just to get burned alive._

  
“How sweet,” the fire crotch interjected. “So sorry to interrupt your little moment, Supreme Leader, but we aren’t out of the woods yet.” He scowled as he looked around. “Literally.”

  
Shiro rolled his eyes but immediately tensed, as did the others. Someone was coming for them- they sensed it.

  
Sure enough, a mass of men seeped into the meadow. “Hello again, friends.”

  
Shiro’s lip curled under his mask. _Grandmaster Loatha._

  
Master Ren immediately placed D-98 behind him. “Shiro, take her.”

  
Kylo didn’t even need to tell Shiro this- he was already on it. He grabbed her with urgency and dragged her up the ramp.  


  
“Wait-”

  
He gave her a gentle shove, silently communicating that she didn’t have a choice. Without glancing at her, he placed her in the common area before checking each of the rooms.

  
_Just in case._

  
Once back in the common area, he could sense her confliction. Even though Loatha was out there, she was being drawn outside to Kylo.

  
He narrowed his eyes at her through the mask, pointing a finger at her. “Stay.”

  
She nodded, and he stared at her for a moment longer, fixated. She _was_ quite pretty, and had a certain appeal that drove Shiro wild. He noticed her the first day she arrived on the Finalizer- how could he not? But that was from afar, and now- now she was right in front of him and he couldn’t ignore her presence.

  
Kane’s words drifted through his mind. _It’s dangerous, Shiro._

  
He grimaced and made his leave, standing guard at the bottom of the ramp, his mind littered with thoughts of D-98.

  
A beautiful distraction.

  
Shiro forced himself to focus on the interaction in front of him, knowing that his job was far from done. Loatha was still trying to convince Hux they were destined to be allies when Master Ren _finally_ lost it.

  
“Enough,” he growled, approaching Loatha.

  
Shiro’s body hummed with excitement, his weapon sitting heavily in his arms.

  
_Time for round two, baby._ ****

**\----**

Sometimes, winding down after the fight was even better than the fight itself.

Muscles aching, clothes soaked in sweat, body humming with a subtle, virile energy.

  
Shiro took a deep breath. This was definitely his favorite part of the day. Sitting amongst his brothers, smooshed together in the tiny ass common area of Master Ren’s shuttle.

  
Shiro stretched out his legs as much as he could, trying to avoid kicking Kane in the head again. His eyes scanned around, seeing if anyone else was awake.  


  
_Just me. Like usual._

  
That’s why, when D-98’s door opened across the way, Shiro’s heart beat a little faster. He remained still, afraid of frightening her after everything she has been through, but his ears perked up as her footsteps approached. 

  
Shiro frowned as he heard her slowly back away. “D-98?”

  
“Um, yes?”

  
_So much for not scaring her._ “Do you need anything?”

  
“No, I just…”

  
Shiro turned his head towards her, squinting in the dark. “Can’t sleep?”

  
She let out a soft, pretty sigh. “Nope.”

  
“You’re not alone.”

  
Shiro turned back around, sensing her internal struggle. She didn’t want to go back to her quarters, but she was hesitant to stay, too.

  
He smiled to himself. “We don’t bite, you know.”

  
A beat later, her soft footsteps pattered over to him. His smile deepened. _Excellent._

  
It turned out, once she got comfortable with him, she wasn't afraid of him at all. She even _liked_ him a little, he could sense it. Everything was going great.

  
Until Kane got involved, of course. He had to go ahead and ruin their connection by Force throwing a box at his head.

  
“Hey,” Shiro grunted, rubbing his head. “Master Ren said we’re not allowed to use our powers against each other. He doesn’t like that.”

  
“I’m sure if Master Ren knew you were chatting up his girl _right under his nose,_ he wouldn’t like that either,” he spat. “And might I add, we are trying to _sleep_ here,” he said, directing his venom at D-98.

  
Shiro rolled his eyes. Like usual, Kane was being a sour puss.

  
The little interpreter started to apologize. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

  
He lifted a hand. “No, don’t apologize, Dee,” he assured, standing over her. “Come on, we can finish our conversation in your quarters. _Away_ from all this negativity.”

  
Shiro walked right past her, finding her internal panic endearing. He wasn’t doing anything wrong, though. Besides- he saved her ass tonight. It’s not like Master Ren would get _mad_ at him for _just_ a quick chat.

  
He sauntered into room six and his eyes immediately found a crumpled, weathered piece of paper. The words were written in messy, nearly illegible Aurebesh.  


  
Sadness tugged at his heartstrings as his eyes skimmed over the letter.

  
_Master Ren was right, D-98 was given away by her own mother._

  
Little hands snatched it out of his. “Please don’t touch my things.”

  
A tinge of guilt coursed through him. He opened a wound, but he didn’t mean to.

  
_You’re such an asshole, Shiro._

  
He wanted to fix it, but didn’t know how. Her back was towards him, her shoulders sloped down in dejection as she stuffed the letter away. He tentatively reached out, placing his fingertips on her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to pry. And I’m sorry about… you know.”

  
Those pretty eyes found his. “About what?”

  
He leaned against the wall, running his hands through his hair. “About what happened to you, as a child. About your mom and… Jawa.”

  
She froze. “How do you know that name?”

  
_Oh fuck._

  
He tilted his head to the side, tentative. “What do you mean? I thought you knew that I knew, since the recon he assigned us…”

  
She stared at him, blankly. “What?”

  
“He didn’t tell you?”

  
She crossed her arms. “Tell me what?”

  
_Ohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuck._

  
“Oh Kriff,” he exhaled, running his hands through his hair again. “Forget I said anything.”

  
“No. Tell me.”

  
“I wasn’t supposed to say anything.”

  
She put her hand on her hip. “Well, you did. So spill.”

  
Shiro mumbled into his hands. “Master Ren is going to kill me.”

  
_And you deserve it, you big dumb fuck._

  
“No, _I’m_ going to kill you if you don’t tell me what you’re talking about. What recon?”

  
Shiro dropped his hands and looked down at the little thing giving him a death threat. A slow smirk found his face. _She’s adorable._

  
“You? Kill _me?_ I’d like to see you-”

  
She wasn’t in the mood for his shit. “Shiro!”

  
“Okay, okay, fine,” he said, exasperated. “Ren... sent us to Vardos. To search for Jawa.”

  
Her mouth popped open. “What? Who?”

  
“All of us.”

  
“Kylo too?”

  
He shook his head. “Just the six of us.”

  
_And I guess I shouldn’t mention I’ve gone by myself, too. And that we have another assignment next week. And the one after that._

  
“Oh, my stars.” She grabbed onto Kylo’s necklace, idling playing with it. “Why?”

  
_What kind of question is that?_ “Gather information on him. Such as reconnaissance implies.”

  
“Yeah, but why?”

  
He shrugged. “Ren wants him.”

  
Her brows knit. “Wants him… for what?”

  
“To take care of him, Dee. Take him out.”

  
“Take him out?” She didn’t understand, Shiro could tell. She sat down, her emotions swirling around her in a suffocating flurry.

  
Shiro didn’t know what else to say. “I thought you knew.”

  
Dee looked down at her hands. “No, Shiro. I literally just found out you existed yesterday. I had no idea you, or Kylo for that matter, wanted to take Jawa out.” Those big eyes looked up at him. “Why would he do that?”

  
“Dee, do you know anything about the Supreme Leader?”

  
She blinked. “Yes.”

  
“Then why are you asking that question?”

  
She started to speak but stopped.

  
She was overwhelmed- it was obvious. He felt bad. He gestured towards the chair. “May I?”

  
She gave him the green light, and he moved to the corner to sit down. He sat down and immediately had to reposition. The thing was fucking _tiny_ and there was no way to gracefully fit inside of it.

  
A small, musical laugh pulled him from his thoughts. He cocked his head, amused. “What’s so funny?”

  
She had to cover her mouth to stop from giggling. “That chair,” she gasped. “It’s too small for you.”

  
Shiro smirked, looking down. “Well,” he said, shrugging, “if I fits, I sits.”

  
Dee threw her head back and laughed. Deep, authentic laughter, the kind that came from her gut.

  
Shiro couldn’t help but grin. Seeing her so carefree after the last week she had, well, Shiro wanted to see more of it.

  
He repositioned in his seat again, making sure to grunt and wince as he pretended to be uncomfortable in the chair.

  
Which, to be fair, was probably made for a doll.

  
D-98 lost it. Her laugh, her _light_ filled up the room. She was looking at him with such unfiltered, uncontained joy- he had to hear her laugh again. And _he_ had to be the one to make her feel that way. Like an addict.

  
He scooted again, eliciting another laugh from her. He paused, in awe, as she threw her head back again, a fit of giggles escaping her lips.

  
He swallowed thickly. He’s never seen anything, no, _anyone_ so lovely before. And he wanted more of it.

  
Another movement in the chair and she giggled some more. He couldn’t help it; it was contagious. Shiro joined in, chuckling with her.

  
_Thud._

  
_Ah, fuck._ “Master Ren.”

  
Kylo didn’t take his eyes off him, and Shiro didn’t cower. For a moment, Shiro thought he _might_ just rip him in half.

  
Or try to, at least.

  
“We couldn’t sleep,” Dee blurted, her anxiety filling up her cramped quarters. Overwhelming him. “I’m sorry, did we wake you?”

  
Master Ren’s eye twitched. “Shiro, it’s late. You must be exhausted.”

  
He might be dense _sometimes,_ but Shiro knew when to take a hint. He nodded once before stealing a glance at Dee.

  
“Beat.”

  
Pushing himself out of the tiny chair, Shiro crossed the room, heading for the door.

  
Master Ren didn’t move.

  
_So we’re playing this game, huh?_

  
Shiro blinked, slowly, and maintained eye contact. His lips twitching up, just a bit. Kylo was trying to assert himself, clearly, but Shiro didn’t feel like submitting.  


  
Identical height, identical build, Shiro held his gaze with an ease that he _knew_ drove Kylo wild.

  
Master Ren was used to unrelenting, unyielding respect and submission- from everyone around him. While Shiro respected his Master, he also respected himself, too. There’s no way he’d lie on his back and let Kylo stomp on him on his way in.

  
Alas, he had other people to think about. Poor Dee behind him was about to implode from anxiety- a panic attack was on the way, he could feel it. _Somebody_ had to cave in first.

  
Shiro settled with clearing his throat. Master Ren held his gaze, silently communicating that they’d have to talk later.

  
_Fine by me._

  
The moment Kylo moved, Shiro glided out the door. He stopped right outside and pivoted so he could glance back inside.

  
Kylo was watching his scholar, the anger oozing out of him. He heard Dee acknowledge him, her voice laced with concern.

  
Shiro frowned. _I didn’t mean to get her in trouble._

  
Kylo’s gruff voice carried out into the common area. “You should be sleeping.”

  
A quiet response from his girl, then the door clicked as it closed behind him.

  
Shiro aimlessly walked to the common area, lost in thought.

  
“Nice going, dipshit,” Mika rasped, voice thick with sleep.

  
The rest of the knights began rousing. “What time is it?” Jaek asked, yawning.

  
“Time for Master Ren to throw Shiro off the transport,” Zakra interjected, standing up to stretch.

  
“Shut up,” Shiro hissed. He started to pace around the common area. He knew Kylo wasn’t going easy on her- he could feel it.

  
He could listen in, but Master Ren would sense it. And well, Zakra wasn’t wrong about being thrown off the transport.

  
Kane spoke up, his somber voice carrying across the room. “You should know better, Shiro.”

  
Shiro didn’t have a chance to defend himself. “Yeah, seriously,” Zakra said, continuing his brother’s thought. “This one is different. You gotta back off.”

  
Shiro narrowed his eyes at Zakra in the dark. “I didn’t do anything but save her life, Zakra. I don’t need to back off.”

  
Zakra sighed. “Just saying, Master-”

  
A slam against the door caught everyone’s attention. Shiro’s head snapped in the direction of room six, panic seizing him for one agonizing moment.

  
He didn’t think- he acted. He reached out to D-98 instead of Kylo, to make sure she was alright. He would risk being thrown off the transport into outer fucking space if it meant saving her from the wrath of Kylo Ren.

  
_[Oh my stars]._

  
Shiro froze. Oh.

  
Her mind was consumed with Kylo, her body helplessly pinned against his, gasping into his mouth...

  
_Oh._

  
Yeah, she was fine.

  
The fire crotch emerged from his room. “What in seven hells was that?”

  
Shiro spoke up before anyone else could. “A loud bang and grunting from D-98’s room.” A beat. “Maybe you should check it out, General.”

  
Hux, displeased as ever, smoothed out his uniform and slowly made his way to room six. Shiro felt _all_ his brother’s eyes on him, but he didn’t pay them any mind. He was too busy watching Hux.

  
He lazily tapped on the door. “D-98, are you alright?”

  
Silence.

  
Another tap, and then finally, the door opened just a sliver. A soft, feminine voice came from inside. “I’m fine, General. Thank you.”

  
Behind him, one of the knights cleared his throat. Another whispered at Shiro. “Look what you did, dumbass.”

  
Shiro ignored him, eyes locked on the back of the General. _Come on, come on..._

  
“Ah, very well. I heard a loud bang, and some grunts. Wanted to make sure you were alright.”

  
Within seconds, Master Ren tore open the door and stepped forward.

  
Shiro let out a sigh of relief. _Got ya._

  
“She’s fine, General.”

  
Shiro turned around, pretending like he wasn’t the one that just ruined their little make out session. He promptly ignored the warning glares from his brothers, taking great interest in folding the blanket that he handed D-98 earlier.

  
Fire crotch called out as he walked past them. “Prepare for landing, D-98.”

  
The lights turned on, and Shiro looked back over at D-98, blinking as she peered out of her room.

  
He watched D-98 watch his brothers, her face colored with awe. _She’s impressed by us. How sweet._

  
Something in him stirred, something forbidden. He knew what Master Ren just did in there- hell, they all did. He claimed her, marked his territory. _Loudly,_ to make sure everyone heard it.

  
The lion, preying on the lamb.

  
Shiro kept his eyes on D-98, trying to smother the building sensation within. He admired her body, the way her soft curves melted against the doorway. Her cheeks were flushed as she sensually sucked her bottom lip. A pang of jealousy coursed through him.

  
No doubt she’s never been kissed like _that_ before.

  
At least, he didn’t think so. She looked so soft, so fragile. Not at all like a girl who would fall for someone like Master Ren.

  
And yet, here she was, smitten with a killer.

  
Those big eyes scanned the room and landed on his. He didn’t bother looking away, in fact, a part of him _wanted_ her to know that he was watching her. So she knew that _he_ knew.

  
Just to keep it interesting.

  
She smiled that shy little smile, and he deepened his smirk. _You’re smiling now, but just wait until you piss him off._ A part of him almost felt bad for her.

  
Right on cue, Master Ren exited his quarters, and Shiro tore his eyes away from _his_ scholar.

  
After all, he didn’t feel like dying today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this Shiro insight is also important for what's coming in Fixated's next chapter update....get ready.
> 
>   
>  **Read about/see my knights[ here.](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1atpuK9dTb7kByhonl6SNQRD3UbB04jGniQSQNSwch2o/edit)**  
> 


	3. Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zakra doesn't enjoy his time training Scholar. Later, Jaek and Akai meet with Master Ren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This coincides with chapter [ 13 ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18774385/chapters/50317199) and [ 14 ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18774385/chapters/50814901#workskin) of Fixated.

### 

Spaghetti Night

_I can think of a million places I’d rather be right now._

  
Zakra internally groaned, but on the outside, he had on that expressionless mask he wore so well. He knew he couldn’t react- even if he wanted to, to what Master Ren and his girlfriend were just doing in the training room.

  
So, just like always, Zakra dropped on one knee. A formality that would always be second nature for him.

  
A pause, then he stood up, risking a glance at this new girl in Master Ren’s life.

  
The girl he heard so much about- but has only _really_ seen during the rescue on Umbara. Between fleeting, stolen glances, Zakra understood why Master Ren liked her. There was a certain… lightness to her that appealed to the darkness that lived within him- lived within _all_ of them. And it didn’t help that she had sweet, understatedly pretty facial features, with big, kind eyes. Eyes that were looking everywhere but towards them. 

  
And bright red cheeks and endlessly fidgeting hands. 

_  
Poor girl._ Her nervous energy was rolling off of her in thick, palpable waves. 

  
“Shiro,” Master Ren spoke up. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

  
Zakra looked at Shiro. _Seriously? Again?_

  
As always, Shiro had an excuse. “Mika fell ill last minute, Master. He sent me in his place.”

  
“Interesting that he didn’t ask my permission first.”

  
Zakra shuffled, as did his twin, Kane. They knew that tone. It was the _‘I will calmly squeeze the life out of you and then enjoy a cocktail over your dead body’_ tone that Shiro drew out so, so well in their Master.

  
Zakra felt Shiro tense up. “I can leave, if you’d like. I can see if he’s feeling better.”

  
A shake of his head, and an aggressive push into Shiro, Master Ren headed to the mats. “You’ll have to do.”

  
The sweet girl spoke up. “Um, Kylo. What’s going on?”

  
They all _looked_ at her for the first time. Well, Shiro was already ogling at her, but Kane and Zakra finally felt comfortable enough to acknowledge her. She shrunk back, just a little, and a tinge of pity shot through Zakra.

  
Kylo, on the other hand, promptly ignored her hesitation. “We are training.”

  
Her lips turned down softly. “We were training before.” 

  
Shiro threw his head back and laughed. _Fucking Shiro._

  
A swift jab to his ribcage from Kane, and Shiro’s laugh turned into a cough. 

  
“I’ve decided to alter my methods.”

  
She looked as skeptical as she sounded. “As in, I have to fight off _you_ and your knights?”

  
Zakra zoned out, focusing more on the way she was engaging with Master Ren, as opposed to her words. They looked so at ease, so _comfortable_ with each other. 

  
An unwelcome feeling pushed its way under his skin. 

  
Envy.

  
Not because he wanted to be with the translator in particular, like Shiro, but because he wanted someone to look at him like _that._ Despite his flaws, despite the darkness that coursed through his veins with such arrogant, assuming ease. 

  
Someone that understood him. 

  
Or better yet, someone to give him a reason to _leave,_ abandon his life of violence. Settle down away from the temptation of the dark side of the Force, the lifestyle that Master Ren seeks out and perpetuates. Close himself off from his powers. Focus on merely existing, with a kind, gentle woman to wake up with in the morning, and maybe one day, with a toddler sleeping soundly between them.

  
A demand pulled Zakra from his thoughts. “Kane, I want you and Zakra to flank D-98 on either side. Shiro, sit this one out.”

  
He glanced at Master Ren’s girl, her trepidation and anxiety almost stifling. They continued to talk, the envy simmering under his skin as Master Ren comforted her, offered her a sense of security. Something he would love the opportunity to do, if anyone would ever look at him as anything besides a beast.

_  
Not happening._

  
With the smallest of frowns, Zakra focused on warming up, on obeying Master Ren’s orders.

  
As always.

  
With a wave of his hand, Kylo gave them the go-ahead. “Attack.”

  
Bodies buzzing with D-98’s fear, her anxiety, Zakra and Kane crouched, stalking stealthily towards her. 

_  
One… two…_

  
They pounced, eliciting a strained yelp from D-98. Within seconds, Kane had her immobile, his massive frame enveloping hers. Zakra glanced at his Master, seeking out guidance.

  
Kylo’s eye twitched. Voice low. “Scholar, try to escape.”

  
A groan from her, and violent thrashing. Zakra didn’t understand Master Ren’s technique. It’s clear her baseline would show the need for the utmost amount of training possible when put against Kane- or _any_ of them. He stood there, crouched and hovering, waiting for the next order.

  
A few grunts and whimpers later from D-98, and a frown from Kylo, he demanded Kane to let her ago. 

  
Eyes on Zakra. “Elbow strikes. Horizontal. Downward. Spearing.” His jaw clenched as he watched his girl wince and rub her arms, no doubt already bruising from Kane’s grip on her. “Kane. Upward, reverse, and spinning.”

  
Both of them nodded. “Yes, Master.”

  
Zakra walked towards her, his face giving nothing away. She took agile, tiny steps away from him, and he wished more than anything he could just stop. She was terrified of him, even though she knew she wasn’t in danger, and he felt terrible for it.

  
And he felt bad the entire time, too. During the elbow strikes, the bear hug attacks, the side headlock maneuver. All of them. She was struggling, and yet, Kylo insisted that she keep trying.

  
So when Master Ren called them off of her, Zakra eagerly obliged.

  
“Oh, seven hells,” she panted, leaning down. 

  
“Next. Zakra, I want you to pin her to the mat. Kane-”

  
“Oh, come on.” A groan. “Zakra is like a kriffing mountain. I’d rather...not.”

  
Zakra knit his brows. _A mountain?_

  
Shiro stepped in off the sidelines, eager as hell. “Master Ren, I can do it.”

  
Kane and Zakra looked at each other. _Of course._

  
They continued to go back and forth, the girl complaining that she wasn’t benefiting from the lesson- rightfully so. He understood where he was coming from, though. Kylo had endured the most rigorous, merciless training in his early years. It’s all he knew. But she wasn’t the right candidate for this method.

  
So when Master Ren finally listened to her, everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

  
Except Shiro.

  
“Aw, no fair. I didn’t get a turn to play with our Scholar.”

 _  
You dumb fucking fuck._ Zakra and Kane shuffled their feet, their energy aligned with their Masters. 

  
Rage.

  
Shiro tried to backtrack. “I mean, D-98, Master.” Met with a killer glare, he cleared his throat. “Master Ren.”

  
Zakra knew she wasn’t Force-sensitive, but no doubt she could feel his anger. She jumped in, saving Shiro’s ass. “You heard the Supreme Leader. We are done for the day.” She walked over to him, sweetly placing her hands on his chest. “Kylo, why don’t you walk me to my quarters?”

  
Zakra ignored that little, minuscule bud of envy in the pit of his stomach and looked away, swallowing.

  
“Actually,” Master Ren mused, “we have one more maneuver to practice. Shiro, you’re up.”

  
“Yesssss.” An excited whisper from Shiro. “Where do you want me, Master Ren?”

  
Zakra frowned, sighing as he leaned against the wall. Kane followed suit. _Here we go._

  
Kylo nodded to the center of the mat. “Here.”

  
D-98 took a deep breath. “What am I practicing?”

  
“The groin kick.”

  
Zakra stilled, as did Kane. They shared a knowing glance, and Zakra had to quickly look away. He had to focus on _not_ laughing.

  
But Shiro’s pale face was making that very, _very_ hard.

  
“Oh, come on. That’s not-” A vicious glare from their Master, and the words died in Shiro's throat. 

  
Zakra watched, endlessly amused, as Master Ren’s girl positioned herself in front of Shiro, ready to hit him right where it hurts. The scene before him was just too funny: the cocky fucker finally getting what he deserved. And deep down, Shiro knew that he deserved it, too.

  
Zakra could sense it, even when he heard Master Ren’s reasoning: working on her aim. Which of course, everyone in the room knew was bullshit.

  
That almost set Zakra over the edge. _Master Ren is a kriffing genius._

  
Biting her lip, D-98 closed her eyes and gave him a nice, solid _whack._

  
Zakra tilted his head, impressed. Even with her eyes closed, she _did_ have impeccable aim. 

  
Master Ren seemed to agree, too. “Great aim, Scholar.”

  
The poor girl looked concerned as she walked over to Kylo. “Will he be okay?”

  
Shiro answered for him. “Don’t worry about me.” He stood up straight and paced the room, waddling. “Just gotta walk it off.”

  
Zakra had to turn away, clearing his throat to cover his laughter. Kane, on the other hand, was much better at keeping his cool. His face was perfectly at ease, in control. Despite the amusement emanating from him.

  
A moment later, and their Master addressed them. “Clean up. Come back tomorrow, same time.”

  
“Yes, Master Ren,” they spoke in unison.

  
From across the room, a waddling Shiro called out, straining. “Yes, Master.”

  
The moment they left, Zakra fucking lost it. 

  
Even Kane chuckled. “You okay there, Shiro?”

  
Shiro continued to waddle, his hands cupping his crotch. Ignoring their laughter. 

  
He eventually gave him a strained response, his voice higher pitched than usual. “Yep. Just fine. Everything is fine.”

  
Zakra snorted, tossing the mats back onto the shelves. “You had that coming, Shiro. I told you to back off last week. And what did you do? Hm? Hmmmm?”

  
Shiro threw daggers at him as his gait slowly returned to normal.

  
He didn’t give Shiro a chance to respond. “You called her _our Scholar._ Our. Scholar.” He kept his eyes on him, giving him a _what in the actual fuck_ look. “Tell me, Shiro, why the fuck you thought that was a good idea, hmmm?”

  
“Don’t you _hmmm_ me Zakra,” Shiro spat. “Not unless you want me to put you in a headlock again.” 

  
Zakra laughed. “That only happened because I let you do it, Shiro. And don’t pretend like I didn’t get out of it within .5 seconds and then proceed to make you squeal like a baby pig.”

  
Shiro crossed the room to Zakra, while Kane picked up the rest of the mats and cleaned up the room. 

  
“That’s because _I_ let _you_ do that.”

  
Zakra rolled his eyes. “Sure thing, big guy. Keep telling yourself that.”

  
Shiro narrowed his eyes and lifted his chin, trying to make himself look taller. Zakra was _just_ half an inch taller than Shiro- something he reminded him of, often- so Shiro tried his best to meet his height. Zakra didn’t move, just kept a smile on his face, enjoying his small moment of victory. 

  
Kane cleared his throat. “As much as I’m enjoying this little pissing contest gents, I’m kriffing starved. Let’s hit the showers and run to the cafeteria.” 

  
Zakra and Shiro looked at Kane, who already had one foot out the door. “Hurry up. It’s spaghetti night.”

  
Shiro’s face immediately lit up, his mood changing. “Ooo, my favorite.” He jogged over to the door and held it open for Zakra as Kane walked away. “Come on, slow poke. It’s _spaghetti_ night.” He cracked him a slow, flashy smile.

  
Zakra rolled his eyes, slowly making his way to the door. He couldn’t help but smirk- Shiro's smile was often times infectious.

  
Shiro held out a hand. “Truce?”

  
Without hesitation, Zakra grabbed onto it, and they did their little half-hug thing, bumping their chests against each other. “Truce.”

  
Shiro pulled away, running his hands through his hair, and pushed the door open. “Great. Now let’s fucking eat, you mountain.”

  
Zakra grinned. He did just _love_ spaghetti night.

**\----**

“The thermal detonator is better than the BNO impact grenade.” Jaek took a noisy sip of his ale. “Change my mind.”

  
Akai laughed. “Easy. The thermal detonator is for the _imprecise_ warrior. A _lazy_ one. The kind that needs to rely on the most destructive type of explosive in order to gain control of a situation.” 

_  
Oh, kriffing hells._ Zakra focused on everything but Jaek and Akai, knowing that arguing with them would be pointless. He glanced around the brightly lit, sterile cafeteria, a slight frown finding his face. It was rather busy when they came in, but per the usual, everyone cleared out once they arrived, leaving just a few service droids buzzing around. 

  
He didn’t understand why, though. While they were dressed in all black, they just had on their casuals- not their gear. Zakra thought they looked perfectly approachable.

  
Jaek’s incredulous tone pulled him from his thoughts. “Are you calling me imprecise and _lazy?”_

  
Next to him, Shiro let out a sigh and mumbled under his breath. “Here we go again.”

  
Jaek raised one eyebrow, setting down his fork. “Before you respond, I want you to really think about it. Is that what you’re saying, Akai?”

  
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Kane mumbled over the now bickering Jaek and Akai. “I’m eating in my quarters.”

  
Zakra put his elbows on the table and glanced up at his twin. “See ya, brother.” 

  
Shiro glanced up at the scowling Kane, too. “Bye, old man. Nighty-night.”

  
Zakra chuckled at Kane’s peeved expression. He was always the first to retire to his quarters once the other knights started to annoy him. He watched him storm off, in typical Kane fashion.

  
Zakra shrugged to himself, looking down at his fourth plate of spaghetti. The bickering between Jaek and Akai continued, but he wasn’t phased, like usual. It was the closest thing he had to family besides his actual blood, Kane, and he preferred this to the isolation of his childhood.

  
Akai leaned back in his chair, his eyes bright with amusement. “Like I literally _just said-_ you’re wrong. And stupid.”

  
Jaek threw down his fork. “That’s not how this works, _Akai._ You can’t just simply say you’re right and then suddenly your argument is valid.”

  
Akai laughed, showing his brilliantly white teeth. He leaned even further back in his chair. Arrogant, pleased with himself. “That’s exactly how it works.”

  
Zakra and Shiro glanced at each other. They knew where this was going.

  
Jaek grit his teeth, his fists clenched in his lap. Rigid as a statue. “You little piece of-”

  
“So,” Shiro interrupted, loudly. “We just got back from seeing Master Ren.” He speared a meatball and stuck it in his mouth. “Real important stuff.”

  
Akai took the bait, ignoring Jaek’s glare. “Oh?”

  
Shiro shoveled more food in his mouth. “Yep. Training the scholar.”

  
Akai raised a brow, still leaning back in his chair, relaxed. “And?”

  
Zakra answered him. “It was… fine. Master Ren had us working against her for her self-defense baseline, and-” 

  
Jaek cut him off. “Wait. Let me get this straight. Master Ren had you _three_ against that little thing?”

  
Zakra frowned. “No actually, just two. It was… difficult for her, to say the least.”

  
Akai interjected, snorting. “No shit. She’s like three feet tall. And tiny,” he paused, running his fingers along his bottom lip. “And cute. Tiny and cute.”

  
“Tiny and cute,” Shiro laughed. “Huh, I didn’t know Master Ren was dating an ewok.”

  
Zakra laughed. “Yeah. And what does being cute have to do with it?”

  
“Oh, nothing,” Akai mused, one of his shoulders lifting up in a disinterested shrug. “But I’m assuming that made it more fun for you guys.” 

  
Zakra shot a sly smile at Shiro. “Yeah, I’d say Shiro really got a kick out of it.”

  
Shiro winced, his hand automatically going to his crotch. “Too soon, man. Too soon.”

  
Jaek raised a brow. “Did you get your balls stuck in your zipper again?”

  
“No,” Shiro mumbled, gathering his plate and standing up. “And that was literally ten years ago, leave me alone.”

  
There was a collective laugh around the table, dissipating the tension between Jaek and Akai. The usual way things get resolved around here. 

  
Tapping his fingers on the table, Akai sprung to his feet. “We gotta go, too. Master Ren needs us.” 

  
Zakra tilted his head, looking up at them from his seat. “For?”

  
“His target on Vardos,” Jaek responded, face unreadable. “We just got back today, while you guys were training.”

  
Zakra felt Shiro’s energy shift from his playful mood, to something much darker. “Anything new? Last time I was there, he didn’t do shit besides sell junk all day.”

  
Jaek nodded. “Yeah. Walk with us and we will fill you in.”

  
A nod from Shiro, a fist pump from the others, and Zakra was left alone. A tinge of sadness trickled its way in. Being alone wasn’t his favorite thing. While he appreciated time for meditation, he also liked the comfort of his brothers- their minds, their energies, constantly buzzing and therefore keeping _him_ buzzing. With life, with the Force.

  
A sigh, and Zakra looked down at his plate. He almost forgot that he had some spaghetti left. 

  
A touch of a smile twitched at his lips, the sadness dissolving as quickly as it arrived.

 _  
Hell yeah,_ he mused, taking a huge bite of pasta. _I fucking love spaghetti night._

**\----**

“Do you think he forgot about our meeting?” As usual, Akai was a boundless ball of energy, rocking on the balls of his feet, rotating his shoulders, cracking his neck. 

****

  
As similar as they looked, Jaek had a different energy entirely. Still, reflective. Patient as ever. He pursed his lips, eyes locked on the turbolift in his Master’s corridor. “No. He will be here.”

****

  
“Okay then.” Akai started jumping in place, warming up. For what, Jaek had no idea.

****

  
Jaek slowly turned his head, eyes locked on his best friend. “What. Are. You. Doing.”

****

  
Akai started doing jumping jacks. “Nothing.”

****

  
“Nothing?”

****

  
Akai noisily exhaled. “Uh-huh.”

****

  
Jaek glared at him for a moment longer, before focusing his sights on the turbolift again. “You’re a pain in my ass,” he muttered.

****

  
Still jumping, Akai blew a strand of hair out of his face. “Actually I’m not, but you wish I was.”

****

  
Jaek snorted. “Yeah, no. You’re not my type.”

****

  
Akai stopped doing jumping jacks and immediately started stretching out his calves. “Oh, that’s right. You’re more into redheads,” he mused, his lips twisting up into a smile. “Prim and proper redheads. Touch-starved and very much _bottom_ redheads. But the kind that is in denial, and thinks he’s in charge. But in reality, he cries after sex, or you know, has a soft spot for pastel colors and fine cutlery.”

****

  
Jaek stared at him, silent. Unamused.

****

  
Akai cocked his head at him. “No? I’m wrong? Okay, what I meant to say was, your types are the ones with huge-”

****

  
A ding, then, the doors opened.

****

  
“Master Ren,” they said in unison, getting down on one knee.

****

  
“Up.”

****

  
They sprung to their feet. Jaek glanced at Akai- a warning to drop their previous conversation, before addressing his Master. “We confirmed that his mistress has died, Master.”

****

  
A nod. “And the girl?”

****

  
Akai spoke up. “We spotted her multiple times, always by his side. Unwillingly.”

****

  
Master Ren spoke through gritted teeth. “How old?”

****

  
Akai continued. “Young. Eighteen, maybe. Malnourished, bruised.”

****

  
Jaek blinked, his Master’s energy shifting to something much darker and hitting him square in the face. He didn’t try to read into it _too_ much, but he sensed that Master Ren knew who this girl was. 

****

  
“And Jawa?”

****

  
“Confirmed junk trader by day,” Akai started, looking at Jaek.

****

  
Jaek finished his thought. “Confirmed human trafficker by night.”

****

  
Their Master did not respond well to this. A dark cloud of anger- no, _rage_ swirled around him, pricking at that same energy that resided in Jaek and Akai. They naturally responded to it, too. Their needs echoed the same as their Master’s: they needed to end Jawa. They had this same feeling when they discovered this the first time- all of them did. But Kylo insisted they go back, to gain _proof._

****

  
And well, they found it alright.

****

  
Akai crossed his arms. Voice low, grave. “What’s our next move, Master?”

****

  
Confliction swirled around him, Jaek sensed it. As did Akai. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but he had to make sure his girl stayed out of it. A moment later, and he abruptly left them, heading towards the turbolift. 

****

  
“We destroy him.” A pause as his whole body tensed. “Wait for my command.”

****

  
“Yes, Master.” They watched him leave, the dark cloud of rage leaving with him as he entered the turbolift.

****

  
Akai waited for the doors to shut before looking at Jaek. “Do you think he’ll have us liberate Jawa's victims, too?”

****

  
“Probably.”

****

  
“Hm. I wonder if he’d care to do that if this little scholar of his wasn’t in the picture.”

****

  
Jaek sighed, sauntering towards the turbolifts. “Honestly? Probably not. He has changed so much since she came around.”

****

  
Akai scoffed as he slammed a fist into the controls. “Oh, yeah. I mean, he brought _us_ in to save her ass. You know, Jeyne was left to fucking rot, and they were a thing for a hot second.”

****

  
Jaek knit his brows. “Really?”

****

  
“Yep.”

****

  
“Huh. I thought he hated her,” Jaek mused as they stepped into the lift.

****

  
Akai laughed. “I mean, he did, mostly. But it didn’t stop him from capitalizing on her intent of sleeping her way to the top.”

****

  
“Gross.” Jaek grimaced. 

****

  
The two of them stood in silence as the turbolift thrummed below their feet, carrying them to their sector with the rest of the knights. An entire sector just for them- nobody wanted to be stationed next to Kylo Ren’s knights.

****

  
The door opened and Jaek immediately walked out, heading for his room, but Akai jumped in front of him. 

****

  
“Wait! I want to practice a new move on you. Come with me to my quarters.”

****

  
Jaek’s lips turned down, just a little. “What move? If you’re going to make me feel like I’m being suffocated by that big ass snake again, then no.”

****

  
“Ahh, come on. It was just a little, itty bitty snake.”

****

  
Jaek raised a brow. “It was a vexis snake. And when it opened it’s mouth, another one came out. And when _that_ one opened _its_ mouth, an entire colony of snakes came out. Not a small one. Like, an entire fucking bloodline, with uncle snakes, and aunt snakes, and their grandmothers too. Not to mention-”

****

  
Akai stopped him, laughing. “Hey- you _let_ me practice on you. It’s not _my_ fault you are secretly terrified of snakes.” 

****

  
Jaek’s deep blue eyes narrowed into slits. “The answer is no.” He moved past him. “No fucking way.”

****

  
Akai followed, grabbing his shoulder. “Hey, hey, hey- no snakes this time, okay? I just want to practice the mind grab I’m working on.”

****

  
Jaek shook his head. “The what?”

****

  
“Mind. Grab. I found it in some ancient Sith literature.” Akai shifted his body to get closer to Jaek, oozing with excitement. “It’s where I enter an opponent’s mind, right, and in a sense, I can make them feel like I’m _literally_ grabbing their mind, and yanking it through their skull.”

****

  
Jaek blinked. “That’s stupid.”

****

  
“What? No. No, it’s sick. How is that stupid?”

****

  
“A mind is a _construct,_ not a physical, tangible thing. Do you mean their brain?”

****

  
Akai looked impatient. _“No._ I meant what I said. It’s a mind grab. I literally grab their mind.” 

****

  
Jaek pushed his tongue into his cheek before responding to Akai. “Yeah, so that sounds like a great time, but you’re not grabbing my brain. I’m going to bed early.” Jaek gave him a playful punch on the arm and walked around him. “Or maybe I’ll go hunting for that prim and proper redhead you mentioned earlier.” 

****

  
Relentless, as always, he followed after him. “I said it’s _not_ your brain-”

****

  
A mutter under his breath. “Oh god, here we go again.”

****

  
Akai carried on. “-it’s their _mind._ The way it’s explained- it’s brutal. I grab onto their mind, their _consciousness,_ and I hold onto it, and fucking pull. Then it becomes _mine._ And therefore, they are completely at my mercy.”

****

  
A disinterested hum from Jaek, eyes scanning the long, matte black corridor.

****

  
Akai picked up his pace, trying to earn his attention. “So since you asked, here is what I’d do once I had it in my hands. I’d turn it inside out. Put everything that exists within them on display. Strip them bare. Then proceed to pick at it, destroy it, _tear it apart._ Fucking devour them from in here,” Akai enthused, placing two digits against Jaek’s temples. “Now what do you say, will you help me?”

****

  
Jaek stopped, giving him an overly enthusiastic smile. “Sure!”

****

  
Akai’s face lit up. “Really?”

****

  
Just as quickly as it came, the smile disappeared. “No.”

****

  
A pout from Akai. “Well, fine. Go to bed then, old man.”

****

  
Jaek gave him another humorless smile and a pat on the back. “That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

****

  
Akai watched him walk away and crossed his arms across his chest. “Well, have fun with that!”

****

  
A cheery, unfazed response from Jaek. “Will do!”

****

  
Akai narrowed his eyes and called out to him. “You’re becoming more and more like Kane every day, you know that?”

****

  
Jaek responded by lifting a middle finger before walking out of sight. 

****

  
Akai rolled his eyes. _Asshole._

****

  
He stood there for a moment, pondering. He wanted to practice his mind grab, but he needed a victim. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and reached out with the Force to find his brothers.

****

  
A frown lined his lips. Most of them were closed off from their connection, probably intentionally. _How rude._

****

  
Ah, except- one person. Akai grinned when he felt the energy of one of his brothers, a small blip down the tether that connected them all. Emitting the same energy that resided in him.

****

  
Mika.

****

  
Akai grinned, taking light, quick steps down the corridor. _I’m coming for ya, ya big oaf._

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooof. just some zakra/ jaek/ akai development for ya. next chapter (which I am hoping to get out asap) will be in Batuu, so we can get caught up with the Fixated timeline. 
> 
> they will have a lot of their own time there, so lots of new content coming for our knights. as well as that cabin scene from their POV... :)
> 
> hope everyone had a lovely new year!
> 
> **Read about/see my knights[ here.](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1atpuK9dTb7kByhonl6SNQRD3UbB04jGniQSQNSwch2o/edit)**


	4. Batuu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their first day on Batuu, the knights follow D-98 around to make sure she stays out of trouble. Later that night, two unexpected visitors stop by their cabin. The morning after, Kylo has a conversation with Shiro that sets him on edge. (Kane/Shiro/Kylo POV)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This coincides with chapters [ 15 ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18774385/chapters/51481228) & [ 17 ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18774385/chapters/52254040#workskin%22) of Fixated. 
> 
> but first, it is pARAMOUNT that you check out my Knights of Ren [ playlist ](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/10GwSCMsv4r8bCxXoIz77K?si=9dtKb3y3SSK8NIi0-gVdlw) bc not gonna lie, it's pretty amazing.

### Best Friends

“For fuck’s sake Shiro, put that decrepit concussion grenade _down.”_

  
“It’s not _decrepit,”_ Shiro huffed, offended. “It’s defused and vintage. And I want it.”

  
“Shiro. That thing is pre-Empire. Not only is it decrepit, but it is also wildly unpredictable.” Kane gestured to the ancient, discolored grenade in his hands. “Just because it’s in an antique store doesn’t mean it should actually be for _sale.”_

  
A moment of feigned consideration, then Shiro gave a stubborn shake of his head. “Nah. Ima buy it.” 

  
Zakra leaned against the counter, behind Kane. “Oh boy.”

  
Like usual, Kane was starting to lose his patience. He tried, he _really_ did, but sometimes this grown-ass manchild just got under his skin. “Shiro. We are here to protect Master Ren’s interpreter, not blow her up. You really need-”

  
Shiro interrupted him with a snort. “Kane, really? _Master Ren’s interpreter,”_ he mimicked, lowering his voice to match Kane’s serious tone. “You mean his girlfriend. Have you heard of that term? It’s where they do stuff together. Like talk. And have sex. Then talk some more.”

  
Kane glared at him, silent.

  
“Oh. _Oh._ I see. No one has ever explained the birds and the bees to you. Okay, I’ll be the one to do it.” Shiro nodded seriously, stepping in Kane’s space. “So, Kane, when a mommy and daddy love each other very much-”

  
Kane grit his teeth. “I am _three_ years older than you, Shiro.”

  
Shiro didn’t miss a beat. “And still a virgin.” Eyes locked on Kane, he threw the grenade up and caught it. “Tragic.”

  
Kane lunged. Much to his irritation, Zakra grabbed his arms before he could tackle Shiro, who was already on the other side of the store, grenade in hand. Snickering like the manchild he was.

  
Narrowing his eyes, Kane glared at Shiro while he shook his brother off. “Get off me.”

  
“Sorry, brother.” Zakra put his hands up. “But I was afraid that thing would go off if you touched it.”

  
Kane cracked his neck, then his back. It had only been six hours on Batuu and he was already tempted to kill Shiro.

  
Across the dimly lit, chaotically organized store, Mika grabbed the grenade from Shiro. “Oh fuck _yes,_ come to Papa. This thing is BRUTAL!”

  
And Mika. He was already tempted to kill Shiro _and_ Mika. Kane put his head in his hands. 

  
Zakra chuckled next to him. “It’s probably fine, Kane.”

  
“He said, moments before the entire place blew up,” he mumbled, lifting his face from his hands to find Shiro and Mika tossing it back and forth. “Oh heavens, this is it. We are all dying today because Mika couldn’t resist touching the shiny ball.”

  
Zakra gave him a friendly tap on the back. “Come on, let’s go make sure Jaek and Akai have our girl covered.”

  
Kane nodded, throwing one last glance at the doofuses playing catch with a concussion grenade.

_  
Can’t save stupid._

  
They made their way past the sleeping clerk to climb the black spiral staircase, leading to a loft area that overlooked the rest of the store. Business was rather slow today in the Den of Antiquities, he mused, but that was unsurprising for a store filled with ancient knick-knacks and relics. People only came here if they were searching for something- either to romanticize the past or because it actually held any value- Kane didn’t know. 

  
All he knew was that he had to watch over D-98 as she worked on getting acclimated with the locals and looked for ‘employment.’ Master Ren was around, somewhere, but he didn’t come into the store for obvious reasons. Six friends window shopping, in Batuuan clothing, didn’t look half as suspicious as Ren did, his scar an instant giveaway to those that knew of him. But, stubborn as all hell, he refused to leave her side. So his job was to protect her, too, but remain in the shadows as much as possible.

  
Yet, here they were, potentially about to get blown up by Shiro.

 _  
Just a few more stops, then we can retire._

  
They made it to the top of the stairs and Zakra took off, glancing at D-98 and the others before meandering around the upper level. But Kane paused, his eyes scanning the walls surrounding him, covered with a massive collection of relics. Rebellion pilot helmets, Imperial infantry helmets, a Sith chalice, a Kaleesh mask, the head of a Tauntaun, and entire wall of blasters- just to name a few. But Kane found the small statue made entirely from kyber crystals to be especially alluring. He squinted his eyes, trying to see if it was what he thought it was.

_  
Ah. Yes. I wonder how they got that?_

  
He has seen it in an ancient history book before. One of the 2,304 statues that used to line the tunnels of the Temple of the Kyber, Kane thought they were all destroyed when the Death Star took out the temple decades ago. 

_  
I’ll have to mention this to Master Ren._

  
D-98 drifted over to him, gently placing herself beside him. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?” she murmured, her eyes wandering over the collection.

  
Kane didn’t take his eyes off the statue. “Yes.”

  
He stiffened, sensing her sudden hesitation, like she had to tell him something. Glancing at her, he was met with shifting hands and darting eyes. 

  
Kane turned towards her, giving her his undivided attention. “Did something happen?”

  
D-98 jolted back, blinking. “No, no, I just…” she trailed off, biting her lip, clearly uncomfortable around him.

_  
Goddammit. Remember to smile next time, Kane._

  
He cleared his throat and softened his tone. “Go on.”

  
She gave him a small smile. “I just wanted to thank you, you know, for watching over me. I can tell that when Kylo isn’t here, you’re kind of…in charge. And that,” she hesitated, shuffling her feet, “that makes me feel safe.”

  
Kane blinked. He wasn’t used to anyone _thanking_ him for simply being around. Affirmations such as these were probably girlfriend things, he assumed. Things he knew nothing about.

  
He frowned, hating how Shiro was right- he truly had _no_ idea what it meant to be in a relationship. To have someone to talk to, to be with and-

  
She shifted again, and he realized he was just staring at her, like a dumb asshole, so he gave her a quick head nod. “You’re welcome.”

  
D-98 smiled and reached out to touch his arm, leaning in to whisper. “And I know we can’t really be seen together today, but if there’s another chance where we _can_ interact like this, well-” she paused, looking behind her, “-for the love of god, please do not leave me alone with _them,”_ she emphasized, nodding her head towards Jaek and Akai.

  
For the first time all day, Kane almost smiled. “They aren’t so bad, I promise.”

  
She raised a brow, her fingertips still resting on his bicep. “They are terrifying.”

  
This time, Kane did smile. “What’d they do?”

  
“Um- _nothing._ That’s the point. Since no one’s even here to see us, I went up to say hi- you know, start a tiny, harmless conversation, and they just stared at me like they didn’t know me,” she mused, frowning. 

  
Kane hummed in agreement. “They do that to me sometimes, too. It’s not personal.”

  
She pulled her hand away, mumbling to herself. “Great.”

 _  
Crash._ Something downstairs fell down with a loud clatter. That could only mean one thing, or rather- two.

_  
Shiro and Mika._

  
A moment of silence, and then someone downstairs started yelling in a different language, voice thick with anger.

  
The others came over, unfazed by the commotion downstairs. In fact, it would be alarming if they _didn't_ get in trouble sometime today. 

  
Below them, Shiro was trying to calm the shop owner down, without much luck. 

  
Kane looked at D-98. “What language is that? And what is he saying?”

  
“Ithorese. He’s an Ithorian.” She stilled, tilting her head to the side to listen. “He’s telling them they need to pay up or he will call someone named ‘Cookie’ to _make_ them.”

  
Behind them, Akai snorted. “Who would be afraid of someone named Cookie?”

  
Kane sighed. “I don’t want to find out. Come on.”

  
D-98 stepped in front of them, climbing down the stairs first. Looking over the ledge, Kane saw Mika off in the corner, laughing, while Shiro tried to collect the pieces of a broken chalice.

  
Meanwhile, the Ithorian was making obscene hand gestures, his large hammer-shaped head turning a deep crimson color. Shiro tried to speak, but the storekeeper wouldn’t let him. Kane knew what was going to happen, he can tell by the look on Shiro’s face.

  
Settling at the base of the stars, Kane watched, waiting for the inevitable. 

_  
One, two, three-_

  
Shiro exploded. “Stop yelling at me I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE SAYING!”

  
The Ithorian slammed his long fingers on the counter, grunting and hissing.

  
D-98 timidly inserted herself between them. “Excuse me,” she said, clearing her throat, “may I offer some help? I can speak-”

  
Shiro threw up his hands. “Yes. Please do. Tell this man with a scrotum for a face to STOP YELLING AT ME. Dee, I-”

  
D-98 thrust a finger at Shiro, stopping him from blowing their cover. “You,” she hissed, “be _quiet.”_ She turned her head back at the storekeeper, speaking in Ithorese- a language that just sounded like gibberish to Kane.

_  
Huh. I guess she really is a master of linguistics._

  
While she worked on subduing him, Kane nudged Zakra. “Next stop is Black Spire Outfitters in Merchant Row- set up a perimeter.” 

  
Zakra nodded. “Aye aye, captain.”

  
Kane rolled his eyes. He needed a nap.

  
Jaek followed Zakra, who grabbed the cackling Mika and exited the store. Akai remained glued in one spot off to the side, admiring a Sith robe hanging up on a rack. Kane sighed, watching D-98 do her thing.

  
“Okay, _sir,”_ she said, glaring at Shiro, “Dok-Ondar here requires thirty-three credits for the broken chalice.” 

  
Shiro scoffed. “Thirty-three credits? Come on, my balls are more valuable than _that_ thing. That’s rid-”

  
Kane crossed his arms, bellowing at him from across the room. “Shiro.”

  
A stubborn moment of silence, and Shiro finally sighed, mumbling to himself as he approached Dok-Ondar.

  
D-98 stepped aside, taking her leave, and shot Kane a small smile. The slightest of head nods, and he directed his attention back to Shiro. 

  
Concussion grenade still in hand, Shiro was about to pay, but paused and looked down, smiling. “Ooooh. What do we have here?”

  
Kane followed his gaze to see the outdated holochess game, Dejarik, sitting right below the credits register.

  
Kane stepped towards him, snapping at him. “Shiro,” he hissed, “we do not need Dejarik.”

  
Shiro ignored him, picking it up and smiling at the ancient game, turning it over in his hands. “Yes, we do.”

  
“We do not.”

  
“Oh.” Shiro looked at him, deadpan, and slid the holochess across the counter. “But we do.”

  
Kane repositioned his stance. “Shiro, do you even know how to play holochess?”

  
“Yes.” A beat as he dug in his pants for credits. “Okay, no, but one of you assholes must know how to play.”

  
With impeccable timing, as always, Akai chimed in as he walked past them to exit. “I do!”

  
Shiro grinned. “Perfect.” He directed his gaze across the counter. “So how about a discount on the chalice, since I’m buying the grenade _and_ the holochess?”

  
Dok-Ondar growled at him. 

  
“Oookay, no problem.” Shiro threw Kane a sly glance and mouthed _‘sour puss,’_ before pausing to laugh. “Huh. You two would get along.”

  
Kane pressed his lips into a hard line. One last glare and he left Shiro alone, eager to get on with the assignment.

_  
Alcohol. I will need alcohol before this day is over._

**\----**

“I told you this was a good idea, sour puss.” 

  
Kane promptly ignored Shiro and the holochess board, taking a swig of his ale. He was in quite the mood tonight, but that was standard.

  
But Shiro wasn’t going to let Kane and his predisposed somberness bring him down. They had a long ass day of moseying around Black Spire Outpost, following Dee’s every move. Which really wasn’t bad or anything, it _was_ their duty to do whatever was asked of them, but it definitely resulted in them feeling more depleted than usual. Stalking Master Ren’s prey? Easy. Subduing an entire village? Sure. Dropping in a hostile environment to extract special cargo? No problem.

  
Keep a little interpreter safe while remaining undercover? Bring on the booze.

  
Which, if Shiro really thought about it, was because this assignment required patience and _emotion._ The center of their mission was based on Kylo's attachment to another person: something that would have been unbelievable just three months ago.

  
They somehow managed to make it through the day, though. It started with her getting acclimated to the shuttle systems on Batuu that connected each of the towns. There was a moment of panic when Kylo realized that no one was on the shuttle with her, so without hesitation, Shiro hopped on, sitting in the front while she emitted enough anxiety in the back to fuel an entire power grid. Meanwhile, the others got on their speeders, acting as casual as possible.

  
That set the tone for the rest of the day. Just so General Hux wouldn’t pop a blood vessel- or you know, spontaneously combust, Shiro and his brothers made sure to stay woven within the crowds, appropriately interacting with locals and staying out of trouble. Well, mostly out of trouble.

  
There _was_ that little mishap in that dusty old antique store, but no one was there to see it besides that Ithorian scrotum, so it didn’t matter. Plus, Shiro got a pretty sick grenade out of it, which he had _every_ intention of trying to set off when Kane wasn’t looking.

  
Then off to Black Spire Outfitters, where Master Ren almost killed a local for the way she manhandled his woman. Now _that_ would have been more like the old days. Alas, Dee and her sensible self thwarted his intentions, sending him off to go cool down by himself. 

  
Tragic.

  
“Shiro, sit down so I can show you how to play,” Akai demanded, huddled around the game, Jaek by his side.

  
Shiro hummed in acknowledgment but stopped himself before sitting down. “Ah, first, nature calls.”

  
Akai frowned. “Hurry up.”

  
“Yeah, yeah,” Shiro mumbled, trying to navigate through the small space. Their quirky cabin was rather messy, naturally, and fitting all six of them in the living area was a struggle.

  
Passing Kane by the kitchen, Shiro winked at him and skipped down the corridor to the refresher. The wood floorboards creaked with every step he took, whining under his weight.

  
Shiro meant to be quick, but for the life of him, he couldn’t seem to stop pissing. After an eternity passed, Shiro stumbled out of the tiny refresher, putting his hands out on the wall to steady himself.

  
“Okay assholes, I’m ready,” he called out. “Who wants to get FUCKED at Dejarik?”

  
Kane responded. “Shiro. We have company.”

 _  
Company?_ “Huh?” Shiro made his way into the living area and froze. “Oh, kriff.” He was _not_ expecting this. “I mean, Master Ren,” he corrected, sinking down on one knee. Swaying, he glanced at Dee and immediately smiled. “Dee.”

  
His smile deepened when she gave him a small wave. “Hi.”

  
Shiro stayed there on one knee, grinning like an idiot, looking at Dee. She looked all dolled up like they were on a date or something. After spending the last few hours drinking with his brothers, she was _such_ a refreshing sight. Pretty, and dressed nicely, and probably smelled ni-

  
Kylo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Stand up, Shiro.”

 _  
Oh, right._ “Yes, sir.” He rose, swaying a bit as he did. “What’s going on, Master? Are we needed?”

  
“Yes.”

  
Next to him, Zakra interjected. “Anything.”

  
Kylo’s jaw tensed. “Oga Garra.”

  
Shiro and his brothers shuffled their feet, their master’s energy shifting to something much darker, heavier. It rippled through the room, washing over them, stirring something in their chests.

  
Judging by the look on her face, Dee felt it too. She shifted next to him, uneasiness oozing from her every pore. 

  
Looking down, Kylo reached out to her. “But we will discuss later.”

  
She smiled at him, and the knights glanced at each other, waiting. They might be a _little_ tipsy, but they were always ready for a fight.

  
“For tonight, she needs shelter,” Kylo said, pushing her towards them. “And our protection.”

  
Somber, they all nodded, watching her. _Whatever happened with this Oga Garra must have been bad,_ Shiro mused, _if he brought her here._

  
Silence hung in the air. Nobody really knew what to do now that they had company, and judging by Kylo’s energy, he wasn’t in the mood for a game of holochess.

 _  
Well, this is awkward._ It was obvious Dee felt awkward, too. Quickly glancing at all of them, she spun around, looking at the odd little cabin. Everyone watched her as she twirled by the fireplace, slightly faltering as she found their gear. 

  
They were undercover while on Batuu, but that didn’t mean they weren’t prepared for battle at any moment. This meant their helmets were lined up on the shelf, their weapons placed conveniently next to them. 

  
Shiro could almost feel her pulse from where he was standing. _Poor girl. Maybe this wasn’t the best place to take her after a long night._

  
Her anxiety only got stronger as she looked behind her, her eyes presumably finding their boots and coats ready by the door. Kylo glanced at her before stepping forward, taking a seat in the corner of the room.

_  
So this is really happening._

  
Kane called out from the kitchen. “A drink, Master?”

  
Kylo didn’t answer for himself, but instead, told him to grab one for Dee. As Kane grabbed her an ale, Shiro and the rest of his brothers just stood there, unmoving, unsure of how to act. It was making the already cramped space feel much, much smaller. Shiro felt it, Dee felt it, Kylo most _definitely_ felt it. So when Kane offered him an ale, he asked for something stronger.

  
Shiro smirked. _Master Ren and whiskey? This will be interesting._

  
It took a few moments for everyone to get settled, but once Kylo took a sip, a level of comfort eased into the room. Glancing around to make sure his brothers were doing the same, Shiro brought the bottle to his lips, allowing himself to relax again.

  
“Hey.” Dee’s soft voice caught everyone’s attention. She sat down by the coffee table, looking around at all of them. “Did you say you were playing holochess?” 

  
Silence, then Akai answered. “Yeah. But I won’t play with you.”

 _  
Oh, this asshole._ Judging by the color in Dee’s cheeks, she didn’t like his response either.

  
“What he means is,” Shiro interjected, sitting across from Dee. “He’s too chicken shit to be your opponent.”

  
Akai didn’t take the hint. “No. What I meant was, I don’t want to hurt her feelings when I obliterate her.”

  
Master Ren was not amused. “Akai.” 

  
What Dee said next surprised Shiro. Smiling, she kept her eyes locked on Akai. “No, it’s okay, Supreme Leader. I can destroy your friend Akai here in his sleep.” She tilted her chin down, blinking sweetly at him. “If he’s not too afraid to face me, that is.”

_  
Ooooh, shots fired._

  
Shiro could feel the adrenaline spike in Akai. “Bring it.”

_  
This will be fun to watch._

  
But then Shiro realized that meant he was being booted out of the game.

  
Pouting, he complained. “Hey, I wanted to play.”

  
Akai pushed the holochess disk towards the center of the table. “You’ll play the winner.”

  
Dejected, Shiro pushed himself off the ground. “Fine.”

  
Dee looked up at him, smiling. “I look forward to our match, Shiro.”

  
Shiro chuckled, watching her for a second before walking over to Master Ren. 

  
Everyone else laughed, except Akai, and the mood seemed to lighten in the room. Mika echoed everyone else’s thoughts, applauding her for putting that smug asshole in his place.

  
Shiro sighed, sitting next to Master Ren. He was not expecting to spend his night like _this,_ but it wasn’t a bad surprise, per se. It had been years since he casually sat next to his old best friend, drinking. 

  
But Kylo didn’t acknowledge him right away. Glancing over, Shiro noticed that they were wrapped up in their own intimate moment. Cheeks rosy, lips curled up in a tiny smile, eyes gleaming as she tilted her head to the side.

  
It reminded him of that night on the shuttle, the night she was rescued from Umbara. So smitten, so enveloped by him.

  
And just like that night, Shiro was flooded with jealousy. 

_  
I want that._

  
Shiro knew it was a dangerous thought, but he was having a hard time controlling himself. He wanted what Master Ren had, a relationship, but sometimes he found himself fantasizing about Dee in particular. Even though he tried not to, he couldn’t avoid it. Her smile, her energy. Her presence.

  
It was intoxicating.

  
“D-98.” 

  
Akai broke up their moment. Shiro settled into his chair, throwing a glance over at Kylo. He was still watching Dee, his eyes locked on her every move. 

  
Shiro wanted to start a conversation, but he could sense he needed a moment of silence. And that glass of whiskey he was rolling between his fingers wouldn't hurt, either.

  
So Shiro left him alone, his eyes drifting over to Dee and Akai playing holochess. It was an odd scene, one he never thought he’d see. He had to blink a few times to make sure it was real.

  
It was real, alright. Real entertaining. Dee was suspiciously good at holochess. But ultimately, he wasn’t surprised. She was the smartest person he knew- so of course, Dejarik was a breeze for her. 

  
“Did Mika get the coffee?”

  
Shiro jolted, caught off guard. He stupidly looked at Kylo. “What?”

  
Kylo’s dark eyes gave nothing away. “The Batuuan Brew.”

 _  
The Batuuan Brew, the Batuuan Brew, the Batuuan Brew,_ Shiro panicked, like if he said it enough he’d suddenly understand what the hell Master Ren was talking about. 

  
“Uh…”

  
Master Ren shifted, agitated. “From Kat Saka’s Kettle.”

  
“Oh, _yes._ Yes.” Shiro nodded. “Yes, Master.”

  
Kylo looked at Shiro, his brows creasing together just a fraction. “Kylo.”

  
Shiro blinked, looking at Kylo as he directed his attention back in front of him, sipping on his whiskey.

  
“Kylo,” Shiro repeated. “Okay. Got it.”

  
Kylo mumbled into his whiskey glass. “I hate that.”

  
Shiro tilted his head. “Hate what?”

  
“Master. It sounds so…”

  
“Egotistical?”

  
“I was going to say formal.” Kylo set his gaze on him, deadpan. “But tell me how you really feel, Shiro.”

  
Shiro gave him a guilty smile. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant-”

  
Kylo waved a hand. “I know.”

  
Shiro leaned into his chair and grabbed his drink, stealing glances at Kylo. He was in a weird mood, and weird meaning… kinda _friendly._ Master Ren hasn’t been this casual with them in a long time, Shiro mused, and he didn’t know how to act. 

  
“Hey,” Shiro said, trying to fill the silence. “How is everything?”

  
Kylo glanced at Shiro. “Fine.”

  
He frowned. “Fine?”

  
“Yes.”

  
Shiro snorted, exasperated. “Kylo.”

  
A moment of silence, then Kylo caved, sighing. “Things have been better. But they have also been worse.”

  
Shiro pivoted his body towards him. “Oh? What’s going on?”

  
Kylo made a small noise of discontent. “For starters, an alien that looks like a legitimate sea slug tried to kill me and my girlfriend tonight.”

  
Shiro shook his head. “Wait, _what?_ She tried to kill you?” 

  
“Yeah.”

  
“Wow,” Shiro whistled. “And her head is still on her shoulders?”

  
Kylo frowned. “Unfortunately.”

  
“Um. Care to explain why?” 

  
“Yes.” A heavy sigh. “But it’s a long story.”

  
“I have time,” he said, nodding towards Dee and his brothers. Kane was hovering over Dee, trying to help, while Jaek and Akai worked together. Zakra and Mika sat on the couch, watching intently.

  
Kylo glanced at them too, and after a moment of consideration, Kylo nodded, turning towards Shiro so he could speak in a low voice.

  
The next hour passed like minutes. Shiro learned all about Oga, and their night, and her demands. They discussed how she was immune to his Force persuasion, as were her men, and Shiro offered some insight based on what he has read in ancient literature. 

  
The conversation naturally lightened up as time went on, after talking about Oga, and after they both consumed more and more alcohol. They sat there talking for so long, that eventually most of his brothers went to bed. The only two still wake were Jaek and Akai, and that’s because Dee wouldn’t stop kicking his ass.

  
Which amused Kylo and Shiro to no end. They were having so much fun, it even got to the point where Kylo was _joking_ with Shiro. Like two best friends, spending time together without the weight of the galaxy on their shoulders.

  
Just like old times.

  
“Hey, hey, Kylo,” Shiro laughed, nudging him with his bottle. “Do you remember what it used to be like when we were younger? During our lessons?

  
Kylo tapped his fingers on his glass, smirking. A little tipsy. “Which part? You skipping class, or turning Jimii’s underwear inside out with the Force?”

  
Shiro cackled. “That, _that_ was fucking fun. But I was talking about the girls.” He whistled, raising his eyebrows. “Do you remember, just how much ass we _didn’t_ get?

  
Kylo brought the glass to his lips and made a hum of agreement.

  
“And now,” Shiro started, looking at Kylo, “now you’re the Supreme fucking Leader of the galaxy. And I’m…” Shiro frowned. “Just a bad guy with a scythe.”

  
Kylo looked at him. “Not true. You’re The Supreme Leader’s best-“ he cut himself off. Readjusting in his chair, he broke eye contact with Shiro. “Warrior.”

  
Shiro cracked a slow, smug smile. Voice dripping with satisfaction. “Best friend. You were gonna say best friend.”

  
Kylo shook his head _no,_ and took another sip of his whiskey. Ignoring him.

  
Shiro beamed at him. It was the unspoken truth amongst all of them. Shiro has known Kylo the longest; they met at Luke's Temple when they still identified as Jedi. Meaning, he even knew him as Ben Solo, before he took the descent into the darkness. But when he took that step, he asked Shiro to join him, and there was no hesitation. They were like brothers. _Real_ brothers- and Shiro would die for him. And deep down, Shiro knew that Kylo would do the same for him, too. No matter how complicated ruling the galaxy became.

  
Shiro exhaled, relieved. “Kriff, I _knew_ it. Except, for a second there, I thought it was those skinny fucks,” he said, nodding to them playing holochess. “Man, am I relieved to hear _that."_

  
Kylo turned his head to the side, his lips turned up into the smallest of smiles. “Skinny fucks?”

  
Shiro nodded vigorously. “Yep.”

  
Kylo hummed with amusement. He slouched in his chair, crossing his legs in front of him. Getting comfortable. “I have an idea who you’re talking about, but tell me, who are the ‘skinny fucks’ of the group?”

  
Shiro grinned, loving the fact that Kylo was humoring him. He knew that Shiro fought with them the most, so even if they weren’t the skinniest, he would find _some_ way to make fun of them. 

  
Leaning in, he whispered in Kylo’s ear. “Jaek and Akai.”

  
Much to Shiro’s surprise, Kylo laughed in response. Not just a chuckle, but that deep kind of laugh from deep within. Shiro pulled back, his cheeks hurting from smiling so much.

_  
I could get used to this._

  
At the same time, Shiro and Kylo looked up, sensing a pair of eyes on them. Sure enough, Dee was standing up by the holochess, watching them with a grin on her face. 

  
“Scholar,” Kylo beckoned, “come here.”

  
Cheeks flushed, body slightly swaying, Dee made her way over to both of them. She was clearly drunk, Shiro mused, judging by her clumsy movements. Behind her, Jaek and Akai started another round of holochess.

  
She smiled, clasping her little hands in front of her. “Mmm, yes, Supreme Leader?”

 _  
Oh yeah, totally wasted._ Shiro repositioned, smirking at her.

  
Kylo’s voice was thick with authority. “Have a seat.”

  
Shiro watched, endlessly amused, as she flickered her eyes between both of them repeatedly, biting her lip. It was clear she was experiencing severe inner turmoil about where to sit down. 

  
“Um, I- where?”

 _  
Aw. How cute._ Drinking her in, Shiro smiled, enjoying the way she blushed when she caught him looking at her.

  
Kylo finally threw the poor girl a bone. Setting his drink down, he opened his arms, showing her where to sit, and she eagerly climbed onto his lap.

  
Shiro tensed his jaw and had to look away for a moment. Her foot knocked into his knee as she repositioned, and Shiro took a sip of his drink before addressing her apology. 

_  
Don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it-_

  
“That’s okay, Dee. I know what you were trying to do.”

  
Shiro could tell Dee was basically purring in Kylo’s arms. “Oh?”

_  
Don’t. Do. It._

  
“Yes. You want a foot massage.” Shameless, Shiro put his drink down, leaning in towards her. “Kylo, may I rub your girl down?”

 _  
You did it. You fucking idiot._

  
“Go ahead Shiro,” Kylo mused, his hands rubbing Dee down quite literally all over. “If you want to die.”

  
Shiro smiled. Kylo didn’t seem to _actually_ mind his offer, so he let it go on a bit longer. “Aw, come on, Kylo. You know you’d get a turn, too.”

  
Kylo spoke into Dee’s neck. “Touch me, Shiro, and I absolutely will kill you.”

  
Much to Shiro’s amusement, Kylo let this go back and forth for a while. Eventually, he gave in.

  
Hand sliding between her thighs, he spoke to Shiro, eyes closed. “It’s up to her if she wants a foot massage or not.”

 _  
Yesss._ Shiro grinned. “Dee?”

  
“Ummm. Uhh-”

  
“You deserve to relax. He won’t touch anything but your feet.”

  
Eyes locked on him, Shiro sensed her trepidation. He tried to give her a disarming smile, raising his hands slowly. “Like I said, I don’t bite.”

  
A moment of hesitation. And then, ridiculousness. “No thanks. I hate my feet.”

  
Shiro threw his head back and laughed. _What is it with women and their feet?_

  
It never failed. He has never met a woman who liked her feet- which was truly ridiculous to him. Which, to be fair, was probably because there wasn’t a single part of a woman’s body that he _didn’t_ absolutely adore. He just had to convince Dee that.

  
“That’s absurd,” he said, putting his hands out. “Let me see those toes, girl.”

  
She shrunk into Kylo’s chest. “Mmm. No.”

  
“Kylo?”

  
A nod. “Yes.”

  
It took .5 seconds to secure Dee’s feet in Shiro’s hands. She shrieked, trying to get away from him, but he wouldn’t allow it. After hearing about her night, a foot massage was the least he could to make her feel better.

  
Pressing his fingers into her heel, Shiro felt her relax- which he expected. He knew how to use his hands, and a foot rub was just the tip of the iceberg. He could do _so_ many other things with his hands to make her feel better.

  
Shiro leaned forward and focused on her feet, trying to suppress the dangerous thoughts threatening to surface. Eventually, time easily passed, and the three of them fell into a peaceful silence. Jaek and Akai went to bed, not even looking at them as they left.

 _  
Probably because they heard me call them skinny fucks._ Shiro almost laughed to himself, but reigned it back in. He didn’t want to ruin the mood. Which, to be honest, was pretty calm given the fact that he _was_ rubbing down Master Ren’s girl.

  
Shiro didn’t question it, though. He even pushed the envelope, a little, by tickling her feet. He just wanted to have some fun, but after she complained, Kylo made him stop. 

  
“Enough, Shiro.”

  
Albeit pouting, Shiro obeyed.

  
Twisting the cap off the whiskey bottle, Kylo poured himself another drink. He brought it up to his lips, right above Dee’s head, and she adorably scrunched up her nose.

  
“That smells _disgusting.”_

  
Shiro snorted. “You’ve never had hard liquor before?”

  
Her cheeks turned red, just slightly. “I have- just haven’t had a lot in a few months. Since Scarif.” 

_  
Ah. Scarif._ He heard all about that. Now Shiro felt bad for teasing her. He nodded at her, jaw tense. “I’m sorry, Dee.”

  
Kylo lowered his voice to speak to her. “Do you want a taste?”

  
She gave him a nod. Collecting the hair out of her face, Kylo twisted it around his palm to direct her head back. As Kylo brought the glass to her lips, her eyes found Shiro’s, and he watched as he poured the liquor down her throat. 

_  
Oh, okay, then._ The way her breath got stuck in her throat, the way Kylo was gripping her hair, the way he was pressing the glass to her lips- it made Shiro feel like he was intruding in a very intimate moment. An intimate moment he was a part of.

  
Writhing on Kylo’s lap, Dee grimaced, clearly displeased with the taste of whiskey.

  
Shiro couldn’t help but laugh. 

  
“No more whiskey for you, Scholar,” Kylo hummed, releasing her hair to give her a scalp massage.

  
She leaned into him, eyes closing. “Mmm.”

  
Little did Shiro know, that lovely sound would keep him up at night.

  
They fell back into silence again as they massaged her. Kylo worked on her scalp and her neck while Shiro continued to press into her heels. She was making small, sweet sighing noises as she let herself relax.

  
All Shiro wanted to do was help her do that.

  
Slowly, Shiro let his hands travel up to her calves, scrunching up her pants as he did. The second he got them bare, he gave her calves firm, long strokes. He felt her shudder at the pressure, and he pressed into her harder.

  
And then, the best and worst thing happened. Dee moaned.

  
Shiro dropped his hands immediately, but it was too late. Kylo jumped to his feet, steadied Dee, and Force propelled him across the room.

  
Back connecting to the wall, Shiro became immobile- courtesy of his best friend.

 _  
God fucking dammit._ He didn’t know what to say to fix this, but he had to start somewhere.

  
Shiro cleared his throat. “Master-”

 _  
“You crossed a line.”_ Kylo outstretched his hand, inflicting pain in Shiro’s temples.

  
He winced. “I’m sorry,” he said, looking at Dee. “I-”

  
“Don’t look at her,” Kylo growled, moving in to grab a fistful of Shiro’s shirt. He yanked him forward, just to slam him against the wall again.

  
Shiro grunted. _Well, that’s gonna bruise._

  
Spit flew from Kylo’s mouth as he snarled at him. “Stay. Away. From. Her.”

  
Shiro tensed. “Master Ren, you gave me your permission.”

  
Something surprising flickered across Kylo’s face- doubt. Making Shiro realize that _he_ realized he was overreacting.

  
Silence sitting heavily between them, Shiro’s lip twitched up, just a bit.

  
But of course, Kylo noticed. 

_  
Smack._ Pain shot through Shiro’s jaw as Kylo’s fist marked its territory. 

_  
Well, that’s definitely going to bruise._ After Kylo released him, Shiro rubbed his jaw, rolling his neck from side to side. Blood collecting in his mouth, Shiro bared his teeth before spitting on the floor.

  
Eyes locked on Kylo, Shiro remained perfectly still. He was trying _very_ hard to not match his Master’s anger. If that happened, well, one of them would die tonight in a very even fight.

  
Kylo knew this. Kylo hated this. So Shiro wasn’t surprised when he stepped closer, attempting to assert dominance over him. Again.

  
Shiro tried to keep his cool. “Anything else, Master?” 

  
Eyes wild, fists clenched, Kylo spoke through gritted teeth. “Yes. Never touch her again.”

 _  
I won’t,_ Shiro thought, nostrils flared, _unless she asks me too, of course._

  
Thankfully, Kylo had no idea just how bitter Shiro felt towards him. If he needed to, Shiro was excellent at hiding his emotions from him.

  
Turning towards Dee, he growled at her. “Upstairs. We are going to bed.”

  
Shiro rocked on the balls of his feet, watching Dee as she timidly passed the fireplace. She looked so terrified, so uncomfortable, and Shiro hated that. That, and the fact that Kylo didn’t seem to care.

  
Anger swelled in his chest as he watched her clutch onto the ladder. Not only that, defiance. 

  
Without thinking, Shiro spoke two little, complicated words. “Goodnight, Dee.”

  
This time, Shiro was prepared for Kylo’s attack. Using the Force, Kylo lifted the lamp in the corner and thrust it towards Shiro. He ducked, and it smashed into the wall with a colossal crash.

  
Kylo pounded towards him, trying to land another punch. Shiro bent down and avoided his fist. Unfazed, Kylo spun around and sent Shiro flying into a table with a flick of his wrist.

 _  
Fucker._ Shiro sprung to his feet, not even flinching. If only he could _truly_ fight against his Master- then this would be fair. But he knew that wasn’t an option. 

  
Again- _fucker._

  
The anger radiating off of Kylo was stifling. Shiro knew better than to let it get to this- he should have never of said goodnight. And now here they were, circling around the living area like they were going to kill each other.

  
He raised his hands, offering peace. “Kylo-”

  
“It’s Master,” he spat, “know your place.”

  
Shiro frowned. _So much for calling him Kylo._

  
“Master. Enough. I hear you loud and clear.” He nodded towards Dee, still crouched and stepping in sync with Kylo. “So does she.”

  
With an outstretched hand, Kylo Force grabbed Shiro, propelling him forward. Kylo’s hand immediately found his throat. 

  
Shiro struggled to breathe, struggled to move. But that didn’t bother him so much. The worst part was not being able to fight _back._ It hurt him in a deeper way than just bruises- it hurt his pride.

  
“This isn’t Yavin anymore,” Kylo hissed, words dripping with malice. Kylo increased his pressure on his throat, and Shiro’s vision started to blur. He was starting to get dizzy.

_  
And Kane thought I was going to kill myself with that grenade. But instead, I'm dying over a foot massage. Fucking fantastic._

  
Vaguely, Shiro heard Dee trying to subdue him, which naturally, Kylo did not respond well to. 

  
Kylo spat at him. “This is your last warning.”

  
This, Shiro did hear. The moment he let him go, Shiro stood up straight and took a deep breath. He kept his eyes glued on Kylo, silently fuming. He didn’t feel like giving him verbal confirmation that he understood. So instead he just stared at him, holding onto whatever dignity he had left. 

  
Behind him, Dee called out a desperate plea. “Kylo, please.”

  
Whipping his head around, he raised his voice at her. “I told you to stay out of this.”

  
Shiro didn’t see her face, but he could feel her hurting from where he was standing. He knew this would happen, sooner or later. He called it the second he saw them together on his shuttle.

 _  
If you’re smitten with a killer,_ he thought, _you’re bound to get hurt at some point._

  
Footsteps rang in his ears. He didn’t need to look over to know Mika came out to see what was going on. “Master?” A beat. “Everything okay?”

  
“Go back to bed, Mika.” One last look at Shiro and he turned around, heading to the ladder. “We are done here.”

  
Shiro watched, unmoving, as Dee tried to get up the ladder. Still tipsy, he assumed, she lost her footing. Within a second, Kylo twisted her around and thrust her little frame over his shoulder. Carrying her like a doll, they disappeared up the ladder and into the loft.

  
Mika took a timid step towards him. “Shiro?  
  
  
He remained silent.

  
Hesitating, Mika came over to him and gently nudged his shoulder. “Hey, your lip. It’s bleeding.”

  
Eyes still locked on the ladder, Shiro brought the back of his sleeve to his lips. Jaw tense, nostrils flared. Trying to come down from the fight.

  
“Shiro- we _told_ you to leave her alone. Master-”

  
This caught his attention. “I’m going to bed,” he hissed, shoulder checking Mika as he walked to his room. He was trying to be helpful, Shiro knew this, but he didn’t want to hear it right now. 

  
Tired, heavy feet carried him to his tiny, stupid ass room in this tiny, stupid ass cabin. His room, in particular, had two sets of bunk beds, similar to what you’d see in a child’s room. The other room had just one large bed, so naturally, the skinny fucks got to share it.

  
Shiro pulled himself up on the top bed of the unoccupied bunk. Zakra and Kane shared the other set, sleeping so deeply that they didn’t even stir with the commotion. It shook and groaned under his weight as he got situated, so loudly that he didn’t hear Mika follow in after him.

  
“Hey,” Mika whined, “I had top bunk.”

  
Shiro closed his eyes. “Too fucking bad.”

  
A huff, and Mika crawled into the lower bed, the entire thing shaking as he did. “Not fair,” he mumbled.

  
“Yeah? Well, life ain't fair, buddy,” Shiro retorted, turning on his side. He moved his head, trying to get comfortable, but the pillow felt like it was made of wood, too.

  
“This fucking thing,” Shiro growled, sitting up and grabbing his pillow. He began messing with it, trying to fluff it out, but there was no fluff to work with. A few seconds in and Shiro resorted to punching it, over and over again.

 _  
“Shiro,”_ Mika whispered, voice laced with agitation. “Shut the fuck up.”

  
One last punch, just for good measure, and Shiro threw the pillow on the bed and laid his head down. “You shut the fuck up,” he mumbled.

  
Mika snorted. “You are being a child.”

  
Shiro paused. _If Mika thinks I’m a child,_ Shiro thought, _then I’m being a kriffing toddler._

  
Shiro closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. He didn’t mean to cross the line, but to be fair, he didn’t know _where_ the line even was. If Kylo didn’t want him to massage her legs, well, he shouldn’t have let him touch her feet.

  
While Shiro replayed the night in his head, Mika fell back asleep, snoring softly. But he knew what that meant- pretty soon he’d be snoring louder than a fucking bear.

_  
Great. Definitely not sleeping tonight._

  
And then he heard it. That soft, sweet noise that Dee made earlier. Except, this time, if he heard it _all_ the way down here, that meant she was being much louder up in that loft.

  
Shiro’s stomach dropped. 

  
Oh. _Oh._

  
He knew exactly what they were doing up there. And no matter how hard he tried to sleep, he couldn’t ignore it. Putting the wooden pillow over his head, covering his ears, humming under his breath- nope. None of it worked.

  
He could sense it. He could feel it. It crawled under his skin and burrowed into his fucking soul. 

  
Such sweet sighs. So soft, so gentle. In the arms of a killer, of someone just like him, his brothers. Worse, even.

  
Envy. Anger. Shame. Shiro couldn’t escape his feelings even if he shut himself off from the Force, from the energy radiating from that loft. 

  
With a shaky exhale, Shiro pushed himself up on his bed, sitting up. Shoulders slumped, head hanging low, hands idly playing with a loose thread on the thin, scratchy comforter. A sliver of moonlight shone through the window, illuminating half of his grim, battered face. 

  
He remained there, hunched over, for quite some time. He was no longer trying to suppress his feelings- he let them flow naturally. So when he felt a slight intrusion, knocking on the edge of his mind, Shiro wasn’t surprised.

  
It was Master Ren.

  
Kylo sensed him, sensed his angst- he knew this. And he was here to remind him of something Shiro also already knew: Dee was his.

**\----**

Kylo opened his eyes before the suns rose.

  
It didn’t matter what planet he was on. Or what system, even. It didn’t matter if he went to sleep eleven hours before, or three- Kylo always woke up right before dawn. When it was still pitch black, when the planets were quiet, not yet buzzing with life, with feeling.

  
Just like every day.

  
But today was _not_ like every day. Today was the day he woke up warm, not cold. With a warm girl next to him, blissfully sound asleep, taking sweet, soft breaths as her chest swelled up and down.

  
Up and down, up and down.

  
Kylo could watch that chest rise and fall for the rest of his life. And he’d do just that- if he let her. 

  
Placing the softest of kisses on her forehead, Kylo peeled out of bed, taking lithe steps to the ladder across the room.

  
If he was going to earn someone like _her,_ he had to step his game up. Which, at the moment, meant one thing: breakfast in bed.

  
Feet pattering against the cool floor, Kylo made it to the small kitchen. Opening the fridge, he frowned, his eyes narrowing at the lonely lemon and a questionable vegetable- something that mimicked a radish.

  
Kylo closed the door. _Of course._

  
Eyes scanned the counter. Yesterday, he watched that warm, sleepy girl upstairs in his bed pick up a canister of coffee at Kat Saka’s Kettle. Her eyes lit up, but as soon as she saw the price, she put it down, moving on to the next item.

  
So naturally, Kylo had Mika pick up the Batuuan Brew after she left. Grabbing the canister, Kylo opened it and began to brew it for her- one of the few things he knew how to do in a kitchen. Time passed as he simply stood there, watching the coffee pot fill up. A sweet, rich smell flooded the kitchen, warming Kylo’s cold bones. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply. 

  
His eyes opened as a door creaked open, footsteps coming straight for the kitchen. He didn’t need to turn his head to see who it was. 

  
“Master Ren.”

  
His back stiffened. “Shiro.”

  
A beat. “Can we… talk?”

  
Kylo didn’t respond. Instead, he grabbed another mug, waiting a moment for the coffee to be finished, and poured a cup for Shiro.

  
Wordlessly, he shoved the mug at him, grabbed his own, and walked past him. Sitting down in the chair he was in last night, he nodded towards the one next to him.

  
Kylo waited for Shiro to take a seat before locking his eyes on his. “I need you to stop.”

  
Shiro swallowed. “Stop what?”

  
“Shiro.” 

  
He let out a sigh, putting his coffee down. “I like her.”

  
“I know you do.” 

  
“But, just as a friend, I promise. I don’t-”

  
Kylo cut him off, looking down at the steam rising from his coffee. “You act like I don’t see inside your head.”

  
Shiro grimaced. “I will… keep my thoughts to myself. But last night, I-”

  
“I overreacted.”

  
A beat. “What?”

  
Kylo remained still, composed. “I overreacted. I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have let you touch her in the first place.”

  
“I agree,” Shiro started, slowly. Carefully. “But… but I still shouldn’t have gone for her calves. Though, I promise-” Shiro said, sitting up straight and raising his hands, “I promise I didn’t mean anything by it.” 

  
Kylo was unconvinced. “Hm.”

  
“Really. And I respect that she is yours.”

  
He sipped his coffee. “Good.”

  
“And I won’t touch her again.”

  
“Even better.”

  
“Unless-”

  
Kylo gave him a death glare.

 _  
“Unless,”_ Shiro clarified, “it’s to save her life. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but your little scholar seems to be a magnet for trouble.”

  
Kylo paused, then let the smallest of smiles touch his lips. “I have.”

  
Shiro cracked a smile. “So, truce?”

  
Kylo looked at his best friend for a moment before offering him his right hand.

  
Shiro immediately grabbed it, giving him a firm handshake. Moments later, they dropped their hands, and therefore, any unresolved tension between them. 

  
“Damn,” Shiro sighed, grabbing his coffee. “Last night was fun.”

  
Kylo let himself smile. “Yeah, it was.”

  
“I didn’t know I missed that, you know? Not until it happened again.” 

  
Kylo glanced at him. “What, getting punched in the face?”

  
“No.” Shiro rolled his eyes. “Well, kinda, honestly.” They both shared a chuckle. “But just drinking with you, talking. It was nice. Don’t you think?”

  
Kylo paused, letting himself _really_ think about it. He couldn’t remember the last time he shared a drink amongst his warriors- his _friends,_ but it was actually really nice. A part of him did miss the normalcy of it all. 

  
“Yes,” Kylo mused, sipping his coffee. A beat, then, “We should do it again sometime.”

  
“Great. I’ll bring the booze, you bring the spice.” Shiro winked. “And Kane will bring the women. You know, he’s _such_ a ladies man.”

  
Kylo snorted. “Shut up, Shiro.”

  
“Yes Master,” Shiro teased, leaning into his chair. He suddenly stiffened. “Hey…”

  
Kylo felt his mood shift, his energy darken. “What is it?”

  
“The girls. On Vardos.” Shiro swallowed. “What’s our plan?” 

_  
Ah._ “I am going to take care of it.”

  
“Okay, great. But, when?”

  
Kylo ran his tongue over his teeth, shifting his jaw, before responding. Anger simmered beneath his skin, threatening to boil. “As soon as she’s back on the Finalizer- as soon as she’s secure enough for me to leave, I’m going to Vardos. To destroy Jawa, to release the girls.”

  
“Great plan.” Shiro nodded enthusiastically. “I’m coming with you.”

  
Kylo looked at Shiro from the corner of his eye, head tilted, and felt a wave of appreciation soothe his anger. Shiro was truly his best friend, his best warrior.

  
A twitch of his lip, and Kylo gave him a single nod.

  
Shiro clicked his tongue. “Destroying Jawa. That’s going to be a sight to see.”

  
A hum of agreement, then, Kylo sensed Shiro’s hesitation. He had to say something else, but wasn’t. “Spit it out, Shiro.”

  
“Ah- fine. But you asked.”

“I did.”

  
“Okay, well, I was just curious if Dee knew everything, you know, about your past.”

  
Kylo blinked. “What do you mean?”

  
“Oh come on, you know what I mean.” Shiro’s lip curled up into a small, sad smile. “You have leveled entire cities. Your General has leveled entire _systems._ Anyone misfortunate enough to be your prisoner has been disposed of- slowly, and with the cruelest of strokes.” Shiro shook his head. “I mean really, one time I found body parts in three different rooms. Three! I mean, how did you even manage that? It was like a rathtar got a hold of him. And then the whole thing with your dad, I mean-” 

  
Kylo shot him a look that expressed what he was thinking. _I dare you to fucking go there, Shiro._

  
Shiro quickly dropped it. “Sorry,” he winced, pushing the hair from his eyes. “All I’m saying is, you don’t have the best… humanity track record. Which, is fine, don't get me wrong. I'm right there with you. But Dee is just _so_ good, you know? So innocent. Your polar opposite.” Shiro paused, thinking, totally oblivious to how he was tearing Kylo down. “And not to mention, your history with women is kinda questionable, you know? Just look at what happened to Jeyne, for fuck’s sake.”

  
Kylo stilled, speaking through clenched teeth. “What happened to Jeyne was unfortunate.”

  
Shiro kept going. “But, you could have stopped it. And you didn’t. Instead, you chose to let her die.” 

  
Kylo turned to him, slowly. “How do you know that?”

  
“Akai knows, somehow. I believe he said your exact words were _‘hire a new one’_ when you heard she was taken and being threatened.” 

  
Kylo’s eye twitched, painful memories flooding in. Akai was right- he did say that. He didn’t care about Jeyne like he did for Scholar- actually, he's not sure he even _liked_ her, but he still shouldn’t have left her like that. What made it worse was, he wasn’t even sure where her body ended up. Actually, a lot of details about her disappearance were still cloudy. He was too wrapped up in the loss of his father- Han Solo. Butchered by his own son. By _him._

  
Kylo swallowed. This was not how he wanted to start his morning.

  
Settling back into his chair, he gave Shiro his last thoughts on the topic. “A mistake.” 

  
Shiro took the hint- mostly. A few moments of silence, and he spoke again. “Does Dee know about her, at least?”

  
He gave him a curt response. “No.

  
"Hm."

  
“What?” Kylo spat, agitated now.

  
Shiro lifted his hands in defense. “Nothing. Look, I’m not trying to dig up old stuff here, but I’m just saying- women _always_ find out the truth.”

  
Kylo remained silent, brooding. 

  
Presumably sensing his angst, Shiro babbled on, trying to backtrack.

  
“But, hey, I bet she would stay with you even if she _did_ know. Trust me, I have seen the way that girl looks at you,” he said, chuckling as he shook his head. “She loves you. And that, that’s amazing. Hold on to that, man. That’s rare for us bad guys.”

  
Kylo gave him a distracted hum. His mind was swirling with his past and his future, colliding into one complicated cluster fuck.  
  
  
Footsteps filled the corridor, and out came the rest of his knights. Lifting his gaze to them, he nodded in greeting, not feeling particularly chatty. 

  
“Master Ren,” they chorused, spilling out into the living area, stretching.

  
Standing up, Shiro stretched too and looked down at Kylo. “Alright, big guy, off we go.”

  
“Meeting with the General at 0900.” Kylo rolled the mug in his hands, distracted. “Don’t be late.”

  
“We won’t,” Kane interjected.

  
Kylo didn’t respond, his eyes locked on his now empty cup.

  
“Now go bring that Batuuan Brew to your boo,” Shiro teased, winking at him.

  
Kylo’s lip twitched up just a bit. _Ha. Clever._

  
With that, his knights filtered out of the cabin, leaving him alone with his thoughts- and Shiro’s words.

_  
Women always find out the truth._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes bb’s before you ask, we will get a Mika POV soon. And Jaek, and more Akai, and more of our favorite lonely boi, Zakra. 
> 
>   
> **Read about/see my knights[ here.](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1atpuK9dTb7kByhonl6SNQRD3UbB04jGniQSQNSwch2o/edit)**  
> 


	5. The Cantina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The knights accompany D-98 to Oga's Cantina. Mika has a serious talk with Shiro - and then they proceed to get shit-faced, of course. Kane seeks out some peace and quiet but finds trouble instead. (Mika/Kane POV). [ playlist.](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/10GwSCMsv4r8bCxXoIz77K?si=y8wAA3ycRmOwVcQPgtrkzw)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things: 
> 
> 1\. I mention two OC’s that are not mine:
> 
> -Namah was created by my friend [ @raging_nerd ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raging_Nerd/pseuds/Raging_Nerd/works) and Namah can be read about [ here. ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunaxxx/gifts)
> 
> -J'ohanna (aka J'oa) was created by my [ friend ](https://latina-2312.tumblr.com) with Mika in mind. Just so happened she works perfectly for our not-so-lil Mika bb.
> 
> 2\. **Ch warnings:** a bit of violence, crude language, Mika being cringeworthy but lovable, Kane being a savage but awkward as hell,+ some protective knight fluff, just because i felt like it.  
>   
> 3\. if you're still learning about my knights, I recommend looking at [ this.](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1atpuK9dTb7kByhonl6SNQRD3UbB04jGniQSQNSwch2o/edit)
> 
> 4\. this chapter coincides with [ this](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18774385/chapters/53854291) Fixated chapter (plus- tidbits that weave into ch 21- you'll see).

### A Good Guy

“Fuck one, marry one, kill one.” Mika slurped on his beer, a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Go.”

  
Zakra looked down, chuckling. “Uh...who am I choosing between again?”

  
Mika grinned. “Phasma. D-98. And that hot Twi’leki over there,” he said, jerking his head in her direction.

  
Zakra looked at her through the bustling crowd, squinting. “Huh. She is rather pretty.”

 _  
“Pretty?_ Zakra, she is bangin’ hot. I mean really, I’d let those lekku on the top of her head fuck _me._ ”

  
Zakra grimaced. “What a terrible image you just put in my head.” 

  
Mika kicked him under the table. “Stop being a pussy.” He held up his hand, counting off as he spoke. “Fuck one. Marry one. Kill one. _Go.”_

  
“Okay, _fine,”_ Zakra breathed. “Marry Dee. Take out Phasma. And have sex with the Twi’leki...I guess.”

  
“Interesting, interesting.” Mika tilted his head, stroking his beard. “Same, probably. Except,” he started, leaning in excitedly on his elbows, “I am _dying_ to know what’s under Phasma’s armor. Aren’t you?”

  
Zakra didn’t hesitate. “Nope.”

  
“Oh come _on._ You gotta admit, the idea of rolling around with her sounds exciting.”

  
“Definitely not.”

  
Mika let his eyes drift, unfocused, as he imagined all the possibilities. “Hm.”

  
A beat. “Gross, dude.”

  
The slowest of smiles tugged at Mika’s lips. Letting himself get carried away.

  
Now it was Zakra’s turn to kick him. _“Gross._ Stop it, you horny asshole.”

  
“For fuck’s sake. Don’t pretend to be saint, Zakra. I saw the way you were looking at that togruta babe back on the Finalizer.”

  
Zakra stilled. “Togruta babe?”

  
Mika waved his hand. “Yeah, yeah. That plant lady. The one with horns and lekku. And plants.”

  
“Oh.” Zakra sipped his ale. “Namah, you mean.”

  
“Sure, whatever.” Mika shrugged. “Namah, the hot plant lady.”

  
“No. Namah, the First Order's lead botanist,” Zakra chided. “And we were just talking. She’s really nice.”

  
“Hm.” Mika looked at him, smirking. Raised a slow, inquisitive brow. 

  
Zakra looked visibly uncomfortable. “What?”

 _  
This is too easy._ “Nothing.” Mika stroked his beard again. “Just find it funny how you are blushing like a little schoolgirl right now.” 

  
“I am _not,”_ Zakra hissed- blushing. “Knock it off, Mika.”

  
“Oh come _on,_ don’t lie to me and say you haven’t thought about getting up in _her_ botany, if you know what I mean.” 

  
Zakra put his hands up in a _what the fuck_ gesture. _“What?_ No. I don't know what you mean because that doesn’t even make sense! And besides, just because she’s a woman and I’m a man, doesn’t mean it has to be like _that._ She is my fri- _”_

_  
[I got this, I got this]._

  
In sync, Mika and Zakra whipped their heads to the left, an acute wave of anxiety emanating from their main focus of the night: D-98. They’ve been engaging in their own conversation all night, as instructed, but were still staying attuned to Master Ren’s little interpreter. Which has been rather boring while she spoke with Kp-374 and ordered drinks. But this time, her thoughts, her _feelings_ hit them in the face with an overwhelming force. Mika winced, watching her try to calm herself down. _Poor girl is not cut out for this._

 _  
“Are you deaf?”_ came an angry growl. _“Drink order. Now.”_

  
Mika looked at Zakra. Wordlessly communicating ‘ _me or you?’_

  
Zakra considered for a second, nodded, and slid out of the booth. Mika clasped his hands together, eyes following his brother as he weaved through the crowd, making his way to D-98. Mika wouldn’t have minded lending her a hand, he mused, but she didn’t know him _that_ well- besides their time spent together last night. Thanks to her training with the Supreme Leader, she at least knew Zakra a little better- meaning, she would be more at ease with him.

  
His gaze lingered on them for a moment longer, watching them speak inconspicuously- quietly. Technically, they weren’t supposed to be seen with her. But Master Ren said to aid her in any way she needed, and well, she needed a dose of something to calm the fuck down.

  
Long fingers tapped on the tabletop. With D-98 being taken care of, and Zakra’s absence, Mika was bored. And lonely. He lazily looked around the cantina, looking for something to do. His eyes settled on the beautiful Twi’leki, talking and smiling with her group of friends. He smiled to himself.

_  
Well hello there, future Mrs. Mika Ren._

  
Mika got himself ready. Cleared his throat, ran his tongue over his teeth. Brushed off some crumbs from earlier- those damn Batuu Bits were addicting. He stroked his beard, smoothing it out to make himself look presentable for the ladies, but not _too_ groomed, of course. Quick breath check, even quicker underarm sniff, and Mika was ready to go.

  
_Ready or not, here I come._

  
Eyes locked on the prize, Mika pushed himself out of the booth. Crossed the space between them with powerful, confident strides. The ladies had just burst into laughter as he approached, so Mika joined in, forcing his way into their conversation. And space.

  
One by one, each woman stopped laughing. All looking at him.

  
Mika let his laughter die down, placing his elbow on the bartop. Pretending nothing happened when it slid off, almost knocking over a drink. “So,” he grinned, “what are we laughing about, ladies?”

  
“Um,” the hot Twi’leki started, looking him up and down. “Who are you?” 

  
“Mika,” he thrust a hand out at her, “but you can call me whatever you want, beautiful.” He winked at her. 

  
She looked down at his hand, disgusted. Not shaking it. The girls giggled, covering their mouths while stealing glances at him. 

  
Mika’s smile faltered- just a bit. For some odd reason, they didn’t seem to want him here. _Is it the beard?_

  
He brushed off the rejection, placing his hands in his pockets. “So...come here often?”

  
“Oh gods,” the Twi’leki mumbled, rolling her eyes. She spoke to her friends in a different language, eliciting a rupture of laughter.

  
Mika frowned. _No Mrs. Mika Ren, then._ He put his hands up in surrender and backed away. “Fine, fine. I can take a hint.” He hung back for a moment longer, a part of him wishing he was wrong, and that they’d call him back for a grand ol’ time.

  
They didn’t.

 _  
Fuck._ Dejected, Mika spun around, his chest rising and falling with strained emotion. He was used to rejection- for reasons unknown to him, but it still got to him sometimes. He knew that he could come across as a big brute, but deep down, he wanted what everyone else wanted: a companion. But not the companionship like he had with his brothers- he had enough of _that_. No. He wanted a companion with _boobs._

  
Preferably big ones.

  
Humming to himself, his gaze traveled around the cantina, looking for something else to do. One glance in D-98’s direction and he realized that now that she was situated, they’d be here for a while. She was chatting and laughing with those two women, having a great time. Mika frowned. 

_  
Lucky._

  
Mika’s fingers idly tapped against his legs as he looked around. Zakra was nowhere to be found anymore, Jaek and Akai were in the very back, but he wasn’t _that_ bored. Mika was considering approaching another group of women until his eyes found his next victim: Shiro.

  
Maneuvering through the crowd, Mika felt his spirits rise. He could always count on Shiro to be good company.

  
“Sup, asshole.” Mika exhaled, sliding into his booth without slowing down. The cushion below him groaned under his weight. “Where did Kane go?”

  
“Taking a piss,” Shiro mumbled, not looking up. He was sitting, hunched over, holding his drink. Looking like a sad motherfucker. 

  
Mika blinked. “What the kriff is wrong with you?”

  
“Nothing.”

  
“Filthy liar.”

  
Shiro shifted, agitated. “Shut up.”

  
“No. Not until I know why you’re so salty.” A beat. “Is the lip bothering you? Looks pretty fucked.”

  
“Gee, thanks.” Shiro snorted. “But no. Just a scratch.”

  
“Then…” Mika just stared at him. Waiting. 

  
“Stop it,” Shiro muttered. “Zakra is your assigned partner. Go bug him.”

  
“Sure.” Eyes scanned the table and he reached out, grabbing Kane’s beer. He took a swig and made an _ahhh_ sound before continuing. “But we are talking about last night first.”

  
“No, we aren’t.”

  
“Yes, we are,” Mika insisted, repositioning his massive frame, placing his elbows on the table. “Shiro, you made a _move_ on D-98. On Master Ren’s _very_ serious girlfriend. We are talking about it.”

  
Shiro began tapping his fingers on his glass. Still not looking up, speaking under his breath. “It was _just_ a massage.”

  
Mika threw his head back and laughed. Throaty, boisterous. “Just a massage? Come _on,_ Shiro. Do that again and those words will be on your tombstone, your head mounted on his fucking wall.”

  
“Nah.” Shiro shook his head. Shoulders still slumped. “We fixed it earlier. Things are fine between us.”

  
“Oh yeah, how? And if so, why are you over here, sulking? You seemed fine this morning.”

  
“I’m not sulking,” Shiro insisted. “And I said I will keep my distance from her- unless it’s to save her life. That’s the deal.”

  
“Hm.” Mika directed his gaze at D-98, chatting away with the girls. “Tell me,” he started, distracted, “why mess with her in the first place?"

  
Silence. 

An exasperated sigh, and Mika focused back on Shiro. Nudged him under the table. _“Shiro.”_

  
He finally made eye contact. The four words out of his mouth stole the breath from Mika’s lungs. “Do you remember J'ohanna?”

  
Mika stilled. His stomach dropped. His heart skipped a beat. Of _course_ he remembered his sweet J’oa.

_  
‘My little knight, please don’t go…’_

  
Her pleas still haunted him to this day. All he could manage now was a small nod. The cockiness- the playfulness, dried right up.

  
Shiro leaned in. “You said there was just a… feeling about her, right? One you couldn’t explain?”

  
He cleared his throat. “Yes.”

  
“Well,” Shiro said, nodding towards D-98’s direction. “I can’t explain it.”

Mika swallowed the lump in his throat. Took his time bringing Kane’s glass of ale to his lips. Took a long, deep gulp. Wiped his mouth and set it down. Tried to calm the uneven flutter in his chest.

  
“Look,” he started, slowly. Still reeling from the mention of _her._ “I’m going to get real with you, just for a second, and then we are moving on. Understand?”

  
Shiro gave him a nod, idly rolling his glass between his hands. Seemingly ready to listen.

  
“Great. Shut up and let me tell you how it is. You don’t love D-98. Master Ren does. And _she_ loves him back. Therefore, you are _jealous_ of him, and let me tell ya, it’s not a good look on you.” He moved in even closer, lowering his already deep, husky voice. “You’re doing a bunch of stupid shit because of that ridiculous, unspoken rivalry the two of you have. And it has got to _stop."_

  
Shiro’s mouth twitched down into a frown. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  
Mika snorted. _“_ Again: filthy liar. You act like I didn’t see _all_ of this happen. Your interest in D-98 was _immediate._ That’s called infatuation, lust. My J’oa- that feeling grew over a _decade._ That is nothing like the sensation you are experiencing. Trust me. What we had was...intense. And not based on lust.”  
  
His fingers found his beard, stroking it absentmindedly. Gaze drifting aimlessly as he let himself remember her smile- full of light, as she ran through the halls. Her long, white hair tumbling and bouncing down her back as she called out to him. It was moments like these that Mika found himself lost in that soft voice of hers. ‘ _Little knight, where are you? Come find me…’_

Shiro cleared his throat.

  
Pained eyes darted to Shiro. _“No._ It’s nothing like that,” voice rough, thick. He took a moment to cough, trying to push past the constricting feeling in his throat.

  
“You- _you_ are obsessed with the idea of D-98. I saw it happen that night on Umbara. You saved her, you did a good deed for a sweet, pretty girl, and she clung on to you and looked at you like someone other than a monster. _You-_ the guy who snaps necks for fun _._ And you liked that feeling, and you’ve been chasing it ever since. That _feeling,_ not D-98. Your attention is misplaced, Shiro. You don’t want _her_ in particular, you just want a girl to call your own. To take care of. To do something other than snap necks.”

  
A beat. Then a resigned exhale, followed by a mumble. “Fuck.”

  
“Yep. And if you think about it, _really_ think about it, it’s because of what happened to your mom. You didn’t get to protect her, and now, there’s a part of you always seeking out a way to remedy that. And it's easy to find that with D-98, for obvious reasons- we are literally in charge of her safety." Mika nodded in her direction. "But there's someone else, too. Another girl. And that's how I know you're addicted to the feeling, not D-98. Which means you _really_ gotta back off, man."

  
"Wait, hold on." Visibly rigid. "What girl?"

  
Mika blinked. "The little one on Vardos, of course. With the big, brown eyes."

  
“You mean, Jawa’s girl.” Shiro straightened his spine, put his glass down. Eyed him fiercely. “How do you know that? You haven’t even been inside his shop.”

  
Mika laughed. “I’m offended. You think I haven’t taken a peek in that big, ugly head of yours when you get all quiet and angsty?” He scoffed. “After your last three recon assignments- she’s _all_ you think about. My abilities aren’t as strong as yours, I’ll give you that. But I can still pick up on the things you _obsess_ over. Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t spy on you and your feelings?”

  
Shiro narrowed his eyes. “You prick.”

  
Mika nodded, agreeing with him. “You’re not wrong. But you should also be thanking me. Because I just un-fucked the clusterfuck going on in that mind of yours in like, what, forty-five seconds?” He leaned back, placing both of his arms on the top of the booth. Stretching out. “Yeah, so you’re welcome.”

  
Shiro glared at him, biting his lower lip. Presumably thinking over the giant truth bomb Mika just dropped on him. Moments later, and with a sigh, he leaned back in the booth. “Fucking _hell.”_

  
Mika raised the glass to him, grinning. The cockiness settling back in. “Told you.”

  
Shiro cheers’d him, begrudgingly, and finished off his beer. “I haven’t thought about my mother in years,” he mumbled.

  
Mika shrugged. “Maybe not. But that’s how trauma works.” A beat. “I would know.”

  
“Yeah, I know. Sorry.” Shiro sighed, eyeing Mika curiously. “I have said this before and I’ll say it again - there’s _a lot_ more going on in that head of yours then you let on. Why don’t you talk like this with the others?”

  
Mika pursed his lips. His brothers thought he was a pain in the ass, always fucking around and always trying to find someone to fuck around _with._ While they weren’t wrong, Shiro was also right- they didn’t know about _this_ side of him. It ensured they didn’t find out his weaknesses, didn’t see him as less of a warrior.

  
It was easier this way.

  
Mika brushed him off. “What, and make them feel even more threatened than they already do?” A wicked grin touched his lips. Working very hard to seem unperturbed about the mention of his J’oa.

  
Shiro mumbled under his breath, rolling his eyes. “Oh gods, Mika. Here we go ag-”

  
“Oh, how are they threatened, you ask? Sure, let me tell you,” Mika spoke over him, enthusiastic. “Number one,” he started, holding up his hand as he began counting off, “I’m stronger than all of you. Don’t deny it.” A loud scoff from across the table didn’t slow Mika down. “Number two: I’m _obviously_ the best looking,” he said, pausing to look down, gesturing to his build. He may or may not have flexed a muscle or two to get his point across. 

  
Shiro stared back, unimpressed, but Mika continued all the same. “Number three, my emotional capacity runs deeper than the waters on motherfucking Ach-To. So yeah,” Mika wiggled his fingers at him, “best to keep that last one between us. Wouldn’t want to make anyone feel more inferior than they already do.”

  
Shiro blinked, slowly, his face perfectly still when he spoke next. Eyes glazed over. “Are you finished?”

  
“No.” Mika dropped his smile, and the facade. Just for a second. “Never mention J'oa again.”

  
Shiro gave him a curt nod. “My bad. Sorry. I didn’t realize-”

  
Mika held up a hand. Closed his eyes. Of course Shiro didn’t realize it would still bother him- it had been _so_ long. His time on Naboo felt like a lifetime ago. But he could still hear her, feel her. Her bright blue eyes- almost teal, haunted him to this day.

_  
So cluelessly, devastatingly beautiful. My little princess._

  
Breathing deeply, a slight smile on his face, he envisioned his princess, running in the halls of Theed Royal Palace. Her giggle ringing in his ears. _‘Little knight, come with me. Take my hand.’_

  
And he always did take her hand, even once they grew out of adolescence together and he wasn't so little anymore. Even when the other teenage boys, also being groomed for the Royal Guard, made fun of him for it. 

_  
‘Yes, your majesty,’_ Mika would respond, teasing her. Bowing, before taking her hand in his. She _hated_ her royal title, but Mika loved the way her brown skin turned dark red when he said it, the way she would fumble over her words. So he never dropped the formality, even when they were forced to say goodbye.

_  
‘Please don’t go…’_

  
Reluctantly, Mika opened his eyes, and with it, his image of J’ohanna disappeared. All that was left was Shiro and his big ass head, looking at him with pity in his eyes. And Mika _hated_ pity. 

  
“I forgive you.” Mika crossed his arms. “Now buy me another round, asshole.”

\----

  
Kane leaned against the cool stone outside of Oga’s Cantina. Stuffed his hands in his pockets, let out a deep breath. Looked up at the stars, appreciating the size of the galaxy.

_  
The galaxy is so vast. So stunning, so beautiful._

  
A loud clatter violently tore Kane from his thoughts. He winced. He didn’t need to look over to know that Mika and Shiro had just stumbled out of the cantina, shit-faced.

  
But Kane stubbornly kept his face pointed up to the sky _. So vast,_ _and yet I'm stuck here at galaxy’s edge, babysitting grown-ass men._

  
“Kaney boy!” An eruption of laughter. “Oh Kaaaaaneeeeeey boy!”

  
He whipped his head at them, speaking in a rough, hushed tone. “Be _quiet._ We aren’t done for the night and this is wildly unprofessional of you.”

  
Mika laughed as he sauntered up to him, Shiro close behind. “Unprofessional? _Unprofessional?_ Oh come on, you know I could kick Batuuan alien ass all day, every day, even when I’m wasted. Wanna see? Okay, I’ll show you.” Mika very suddenly, and violently, karate kicked the air. “Hi-ya!” Next came the hand strikes. “Hi- _yaaa!”_ More kicks. “Oooooyuhhh!” And even more kicking, for fuck's sake.

  
Kane frowned. _Will this ever end?_

  
Shiro started to clap, whistling. “Atta boy.”

  
Mika finally stopped, bowing at the praise. Kane lifted a brow. “Wow.” Deadpan. “Impressive.” 

  
“Yep.” Mika grinned, breathing heavily as he situated himself against the wall, too. “Thanks, I’ll be here all night.”

_  
Unfortunately._

  
Shiro groaned, standing on the other side of Kane. “Look, chill out, okay? The other three are on it. And they’ll be escorting her back in like, four minutes. So don’t get your panties in a twist.”

  
Kane looked at Shiro. “Four minutes? How do you know?”

  
“Blue scarf girl was talking about how she has plans, or something, and has to go. That’s why we are out here.”

  
Kane nodded. “Good.”

  
On the other side of him, Mika belched. He was so used to it, Kane didn’t even flinch. He kept his eyes near the exit, looking out for D-98. But his view was mostly obscured by the drunk people buzzing around the entrance of the cantina. It was busy- people were either leaving or just arriving. Why anyone would want to start their night _this_ late, Kane had no idea.

  
Moments later the girl in the blue scarf came skipping out. They stiffened, getting a better look at her, as she walked right past them. She had her eyes cast down on her datapad, smiling slightly as she typed away.

  
Silence, for just a moment, and then, exactly what Kane expected:

  
“Damn, blue scarf girl is _hot.”_

  
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Kane muttered. He put his face in his hands.

  
Shiro hummed in agreement. “Yep. Real cute. Maybe we can ask Dee for a-”

_  
“Rising moons, Luna! See you tomorrow!”_

  
A silence fell on all three of them. _Thankfully._ They were so obnoxious- _especially_ drunk, but for the most part they could keep it together when necessary.

  
And the last thing they wanted to do was have Zena Alitar notice Master Ren's knights.

  
But she didn’t even look over at them. She was buzzing with an excited energy- it was palpable, even from where they were standing. She looked left, then right, and proceeded to meander in the opposite direction of the blue scarf girl. Humming to herself the whole way.

_  
Thank the stars. Now we can go home._

  
Kane pushed himself off the wall, ready to go inside to retrieve D-98, but she came out right after, a small frown on her face.

  
Jaek and Akai sauntered out behind her, silent as ever. Not paying her much mind, as they started to walk in the direction of the parked speeders. 

  
Nervously, she glanced at them, and then over at Kane. He gave her a small head nod in their direction, silently communicating to follow them. She smiled, just a bit, and wordlessly took after them, with Zakra following behind her.

  
Kane let out a deep breath. They would lead her to Master Ren, who was stationed up ahead near the Marketplace. Meaning that he was off the hook for the night. Now he could relax, maybe have some alone time and-

  
“Did someone say _shots?_ Don’t mind if I do,” Mika grinned, nudging into Kane as he walked past him and back towards the cantina. 

  
Shiro joined him and walked backwards, keeping his eyes on Kane. “You coming, sour puss?”

  
Kane shook his head. “No. Go.”

  
“Naturally,” Shiro rolled his eyes. “You should loosen up some time, Kaney boy. Might be good- _ooof.”_

  
Shiro, being his normal dumbass self, walked right into a group of men trying to exit the cantina the same time he and Mika approached it.

  
Kane watched, suddenly on edge, as three tall, pale men glared at them, lips curled back in distaste. They were speaking quietly to each other in a foreign, guttural language. Kane cocked his head at them, fixated on the sound of it. It sounded familiar, but Kane couldn’t quite put his finger on where he knew it from. 

  
Mika gave them a humorless smile. “Woah there, excuse us, gentlemen.”

  
The men glared at them, but didn’t respond, nor did they advance. In fact, they stepped aside, letting them pass. No doubt intimidated by their size.

 _  
Thank goodness._ Kane didn’t feel like breaking up a brawl tonight. Once Mika _and_ Shiro got started, it was nearly impossible to bring them down from a fight.

  
Both of them flashing predatory smiles, Shiro and Mika sunk back into the cantina again, maintaining eye contact with the men until they were out of sight. Kane remained back, watching them intently. They looked familiar too: tall, with gaunt faces that seemed to shine in the moonlight with strange, clear pupils. He has definitely seen someone _just_ like this before, if not these men in particular...

  
And then it clicked. They looked exactly like Grandmaster Loatha.

_  
These are Umbarans. From the Shadow World. Where D-98 was kidnapped._

  
Kane subconsciously inched closer, trying to pick up on what they were saying. They were speaking loudly, animatedly- but seemingly not about Mika and Shiro. Instead, they were pointing towards Zena, who was taking her sweet ass time walking back to her speeder.

 _  
Maybe she did something to piss them off?_

  
He tried to pick up on their thoughts, but he couldn’t understand their native language whatsoever. The more he watched them, the more he didn’t like them. Kane shivered. Not a lot of things set him on edge, but something about them definitely screamed _predator._ Which meant something, coming from a Knight of Ren. 

  
One of them said something that angered the others, and a few heated exchanges later, they took off, splitting up. Mumbling in their language.

 _  
Where’s D-98 when you need her?_

  
Kane brushed it off, trying to ‘loosen’ up like Shiro suggested. He needed to stop _worrying_ all the damn time.

  
So, he tried.

  
He slumped against the wall again, but this time- he tried to focus on actually finding peace. The Umbarans were gone, Mika and Shiro were entertaining themselves inside, and the other knights were in charge of D-98. Meaning he could just _exist,_ just for a little while. He looked up again, hoping the moons and billions of stars would help make him feel smaller- less significant. Sometimes the weight on his shoulders felt too… heavy. 

  
And if it weren’t for the blaring music coming from inside the cantina, it might have worked.

  
With a deep sigh, Kane took off towards the right, going on a little night walk. To help him unwind, help him clear his mind. He took his time walking through the near-empty streets, mostly keeping his eyes down at the ground. He would only look up every so often- a quick perimeter scan, but it was a moot point; it was rather quiet. The only things keeping him company were the remains of the petrified trees scattered at random, or the ‘spires,’ as locals called them. He wasn’t sure where they came from, but it fascinated him to no end. Maybe when they were done with the assignment, he could research more about it. Kane did see some interesting texts inside the Den of-

 _  
“Wait, stop,”_ came a breathy plea.

  
Kane froze. A wave of panic hit him in the face. Not _his_ \- but someone else's. He sensed immense distress, could almost taste it like it was his own. He spun around in the dimly lit, empty street. _Where the fuck did that come from?_

_  
“Shh, baby. Relax.”_

_  
“NO! I said-”_ A scream. Quickly muffled.

  
Crouched, eyes darting left and right, Kane followed his gut. And his gut was telling him to go down the dark alleyway to his right. He listened, his boots slamming into the pavement as he took off. His stupid, Batuuan scarf fluttered in the wind, blowing up in his face, and Kane gracefully ripped it off, letting it fall to the ground behind him. 

  
Muffled whimpers and incessant shushing got louder and louder as he maneuvered down the alleyway. Kane picked his pace up to a sprint, leaping over piles of trash as he did. Breath steady even with the cardio. As he passed a particularly large pile of empty cargo boxes, the source of the distress came into view.

_The girl in the blue scarf._

  
Situated under the only light in the entire alleyway. Being pinned against the wall by some douchebag with his pants hanging around his hips.

  
Kane didn’t think, he acted. A grunt tore from his throat as he collided with the man, sending them both crashing to the ground. Vaguely, he heard the girl scream behind him, but he was focused on the young, freckled-fuck-face screaming like a little bitch underneath him. Kane had complete and utter tunnel vision as he gripped his neck, slamming his head down into the pavement. Eyes wild as his other hand coiled behind him, ready to connect with his jaw. 

_  
Smack._

  
The first punch felt good. The second felt even better. The third was fucking euphoric. 

  
Blood pooled out of the man’s mouth, coating his teeth. His eyes rolled back as Kane delivered another blow, and another. Knuckles surely bruised and cut up by now, as they ripped into his mouth, shattering his teeth into bits.

  
“Hey!” Little hands gripped onto his arms. “Enough!”

  
Kane grunted, holding his fist in the air before deciding to come down just _one_ more time.

 _  
“Please,”_ she cried, “you're going to kill him!”

  
Kane stopped, shoving his body into the cement one last time. Rough fingers pinched the groaning man’s bloodied chin, gripping his face so he could shove it side to side, getting a better look at the damage. He looked just _fine_. Just to make sure, Kane leaned in, lifting an eyelid to see if he was responsive.

  
He groaned and writhed below him. “Ahhhgggruuhhh.”

  
Kane patted his chest and got up. “He’ll be fine,” he mused, nonchalant. Snapping his head to the left, then right. Rolling his shoulders. Body humming with excitement. Once he stretched, his eyes found the face of the girl. And she looked _terrified._

 _  
Oh, right._ Kane took a step towards her. She stumbled backwards.

  
“Hey, it’s okay.” Kane outstretched his hand, slowly. “I’m not going to hurt _you.”_

  
Wide eyes darted down to the mumbling, bloody mess groaning on the ground. He could see her gulp from where he was standing.

  
“Really, he’ll be fine.” He glanced behind him. “Even though he doesn’t deserve to be.”

  
Her bottom lip trembled. “I don’t know what happened. He, he was going to…”

  
“Rape you.” Kane nodded once. “I know.”

  
“Benjymiin?” Her hand flew to her chest. “No, no way. He would never go _that_ far,” she panicked. “I mean, _no._ That can’t be true.”

  
Kane grimaced. “He would. And he was about to.” He extended his hand even further. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

  
Eyes still locked on Benjymiin, she nodded, and slipped her hand in his. Kane gripped on to it, trying to ignore how soft and small it felt in his, and gently pulled her away towards the street. 

  
He walked slow, steady, making sure she could easily follow him through the dark alley. She held onto him like a lifeline. He wouldn’t doubt if she went into shock- she looked, and _felt_ traumatized.

  
They reached the main street again, and Kane eyed the girl as she tore her hand from his, clutching her ripped blouse against her body.

  
“Here,” Kane offered, slipping off his jacket in one lithe movement. He held it out for her, but she didn’t take it. She wasn’t even looking at him.

_  
Yep. Shock._

  
Slowly, tentatively, Kane stepped closer to her. One step at a time, as to not scare her. Just as timidly, he lifted his jacket and placed it over her shoulders. Softly dropping it over her.

  
She jolted, snapping her face towards him. Kane lifted his fingers off of her, stepping back. “It’s okay- you are safe.” He slowly lowered his hands. Tried to offer her a disarming smile. “My name is Kane, what’s yours?”

  
“Cass,” she said, softly. She clutched onto his jacket, bringing it around her, as her eyes darted towards a loud group of people stumbling out of the cantina. Distracted. “I should…I should get going.”

  
Kane nodded. “Yeah. Come on, let me walk you home.”

  
She shook her head. “I’m in Peka. It’s okay. I can...I can get there myself.”

  
_Bad idea._ “I’m in Peka, too.” He held out his arm for her to take. “We can take the shuttle together?

  
Kane waited for what felt like a lifetime as she eyed his arm. He remained composed, patient, but internally, he was desperate for her to take it. Because once she touched him, he could help her calm down, help her recover. Via a stealthy dose of the Force.

  
A nod, and she slipped his hand under his arm, gripping onto it. Immediately, Kane got to work. Leading her to the shuttle stop, he pumped a sense of subtle serenity through their physical connection. In moments, her cortisol levels would drop. Helping her parasympathetic nervous system do its job and calm her down- bring her down from the flight or fight response triggered by the attack. Kane knew it would work because he used to do this _all_ the time with Zakra. When they were kids, and before either of them knew they were Force sensitive. Before _everything._

  
Beside him, Cass yawned. Loudly, dramatically. 

  
He suppressed a smile. It was working. He could feel her relax, could feel her unwind. He wouldn’t be surprised if she slept the entire way back to Peka.

  
“Shuttle is just up ahead,” Kane muttered, keeping his voice soft. She nodded. Crowds were far and few between as they distanced themselves from the cantina, the buzz of insects the only sound surrounding them. The music slowly faded away, as did the general feel of busyness from earlier. It finally felt _late._ The lights were dim, the stars were bright. Air felt dense, almost like a storm was coming.

  
Once they got settled at the stop, Kane even found himself feeling relaxed, tired. The shuttle was supposed to come every thirty minutes, so they wouldn’t have to wait _too_ long. He opened his mouth to speak, to fill the silence, but Cass wordlessly leaned into him, placing her head on his shoulder, sighing sweetly.

  
Kane froze. _What? Um, what? Do I put an arm around her? Do I...put my head on hers? Do I ask her if she’s okay? Or should I-_

  
“Thank you,” she muttered, sleepily. Fingers curled even tighter around his arm. “For saving me. You’re a good guy.”

  
A warmth flooded through Kane. Light and warm and _foreign._ He was used to helping out his brothers- that was a given. But he never considered himself a _good_ guy. How could he? He has ended countless lives. Destroyed them. Wreaked havoc for years- especially when Ren first took him and Zakra in. After that, his life has been one brutal bloodbath. Ninety-five percent of the time.

  
So he struggled with accepting her praise. But what could he do, tell her she's wrong, and that actually he's bad? That destroying that man's face felt amazing and he wished he could have killed him, instead? She shifted next to him, and Kane realized he had to respond. So he decided, at this moment, Cass didn’t need to know about his past.

  
“You’re welcome,” he finally said, feeling awkward. Unsure of where to put his hands. He wanted to wrap an arm around her, bring her closer, but he didn't want to scare her.

  
She yawned again, nuzzling against him. “For the record…I'm not that kind of girl. Really.”

  
Kane tilted his chin down, trying to catch a glimpse of her face. “What do you mean?”

  
“Making out with a strange guy in a dark alleyway.” Cass chuckled against him. “My stars, that sounds bad, when I say it aloud, huh? Should have listened to Zena.” She lifted her head and looked up at him. Kane hated how very much he enjoyed the fact she was still holding onto his arm while she did.

  
Swallowing thickly, he met her gaze. “It’s not bad. I didn’t think anything of it.”

  
She gave him a slow smile. Looked up at his face with those beautiful, blue eyes. There was a kindness, a gentleness, about her that appealed to him. 

  
Kane cleared his throat. For some wild reason, he had the urge to lean down and bring his lips to hers. To breathe her in, to slip his hand behind her neck and kiss her deeply. Explore the sweetness of her lips, the softness of her body...

  
Clutching onto his arm, Cass pulled herself up and kissed him on the cheek. 

  
Soft and sweet and gentle and over  _ way  _ too soon. By the time Kane even processed what happened, Cass had gotten off her tippy toes and leaned into him again, her head resting on his shoulder. Relaxing. While Kane, on the other hand, was more nervous than he had been in  _ years.  _

_  
Do I thank her? Do I kiss her cheek back? Do I do what I really want to do and grab her, giving her a proper kiss on the lips? What if I kiss her too hard? What if my stubble scratches her? Do women like that? What do women usually- _

  
“The shuttle,” Cass breathed, pulling him from his thoughts. Tragically letting go of his arm as she pulled his jacket around her tighter, getting ready for the approaching vehicle.

  
Kane remained frozen until it came to a full stop. Mind still racing. She looked at him through her lashes, waiting, and he wordlessly gestured for her to get on first. 

  
A nod and a smile, she stepped ahead of him. He watched her get on and travel through the crowd, taking an empty row in the back. It was packed, surprisingly, but he could only focus on her and the way her smooth lips felt against his rough skin.

  
Until shouting, male voices stopped him in his tracks.

_  
Oh, no. Please, no. Don’t let it be who I think it is.  _

  
“Kaneeeeeyyyy booooooyyyy!” Laughter. "We saw that, Kaney boy!"

_  
Fucking hell.  _

  
He glanced towards the cantina, his heart dropping. There they were. Shiro and Mika, locking eyes with him in the distance. Making humping gestures with their hips and hands. Tongues hanging out of their mouths as they made obscene, disgusting grunting sounds. 

  
Kane grit his teeth and looked up at the sky. _For the love of all things holy,_ _please give me the strength to not strangle these motherfuckers in their sleep tonight._

  
“Wooooooohoooooooo! YOU DIRTY DOG!” Mika yelled, again. Shiro joined in, voice carrying all the way from the cantina. “YEAH, SOUR PUSS! GET SOME!” 

  
Kane turned beet red. Glared at them one last time. And ripped up the stairs of the shuttle, murder on his mind.

_  
Nevermind. Please give me all the strength necessary to strangle these motherfuckers in their sleep tonight. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> awww lil virgin Kane is the cutest
> 
> also: as for Shiro’s feelings for scholar... that will be explored more in Fixated ch 22. ♥️
> 
> Up next: short jaek/ akai chapter.. but sUPER important for the Zena storyline. 
> 
> and: canon one-shot about J'oa and Mika, written by the creator of J'oa. [ The Festival of Lights. ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23242069)
> 
>   
> **Read about/see my knights[ here.](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1atpuK9dTb7kByhonl6SNQRD3UbB04jGniQSQNSwch2o/edit)**  
> 


	6. Zena's Camp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After D-98's assignment with Zena, Jaek and Akai hang back to follow through with Master Ren's orders. 
> 
> [This takes place right after Scholar leaves Zena's camp in chapter [ 20](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18774385/chapters/54711469) of Fixated]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! A super short, but super important chapter for our Fixated storyline. You will see why.
> 
> FYI: There are no chapter breaks in this, but we start with Jaek’s POV, but then it transitions to narrator then Akai. Just fyi.

### 

Red Velvet Cupcakes

“Shiro’s concussion grenade is _ancient,”_ Jaek reiterated, glaring at Akai. “No way am I fucking with that.”

  
“Ah come on, it would be fun to prank them. Besides,” Akai grinned, pushing himself off the tree. “General Hux is ancient, and you fuck with that.”

  
“You don’t want to go there right now.” Jaek narrowed his eyes. Took his time fanning out his legs, widening his stance. Crossing his arms. “And for the record, he’s seven years older than you. He’s not ancient.” 

  
He paused, pretending to think about it as he stroked his chin. Then dropped his hands. “Yeah, no,” he said, nodding his head obnoxiously. “I’m pretty sure I want to go there right now.”

  
Jaek blinked at him. _Why do I like this asshole again?_

  
“Because you see, dear friend of mine," Akai so tragically continued, "last night after my shower, I couldn’t help but notice that you disappeared. Without a word, or a trace. Care to explain?”

  
Jaek smiled at him. “Nope.”

  
Akai arched a brow. “Really?” 

  
“Yep.”

  
Akai glared at him. “Don’t make me go in that head of yours and find out.”

  
“Seriously,” he snorted. “I’d love to see you try.”

  
Akai huffed, bending one knee and crossing his arms. “You were with him, right? How did you meet up with him? Tell me.”

  
He rolled his eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh. Akai was fucking _relentless._ “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just went for a walk.”

  
“For _four_ hours?”

  
Jaek shifted, impatient. “I saw Kane by the river, and-”

  
“Kane came home while you were out. Weird and bright red, but that's besides the point. The point is, he didn't mention you,” Akai said, accusingly. “Just tell me the truth, and I will drop it.”

  
Silence. Just the sound of insects buzzing and birds chirping and the Resistance spy, Zena, banging away at a smoking speeder, occasionally yelling out expletives as she did. It had only been fifteen minutes since D-98 was escorted away by the others, and yet it had felt like _hours._

  
Akai had the tendency to do that to people.

  
If he cared to get into it, Jaek _could_ tell Akai the truth: that he went for a walk after they retired for the night, and it just so happened General Hux was on the same path, smoking a cigarette. Their cabins weren’t _that_ far away from each other, just like everyone else in this small, mountainous town. So it wasn’t that far-fetched that they ran into each other.

  
At least, that’s what he wanted General Hux to believe. In reality, Jaek sensed him from a mile away, and immediately changed his direction to find him. 

  
Not unlike a hunter.

  
“Fine.” A resigned sigh. “I saw the General.”

  
Akai dropped his jaw, lips slowly forming a surprised _o._ “No fucking way!” He jumped up and down. “I _knew_ it! I could just… _smell_ him on you when you got back, you know? He has a certain smell. It’s so _flowery_ and sweet and _blegh,”_ Akai grimaced. “I swear it just gets stuck in your nostrils and stays there, you know? Like Mika’s farts.” He shook his head, shivering. “Gross. But wow, okay, great. What’d you guys do? Come on, I’m not squeamish like the others. I want the details. _All_ the gory details. You gotta tell me, big guy. Like, does he cry after sex, like I thought? Does he wear boxers or briefs?” Akai paused, for a brief moment, before shaking his head. “Nevermind. Don’t answer that. I’m positive he’s a tighty-whities guy. Psh, figures,” he said, under his breath, entirely to himself. “Okay, details, _now._ Tell. Me. Every. Last. Thing.” 

  
Deadpan. “We talked.”

  
Akai’s smile plummeted. “What? No. No way. I think the most you have ever said in one sitting, was like, fifty words. No way you guys did nothing but _talk_ for that long.” 

  
“We did.”

  
He crossed his arms. “Jaek.”

  
“Akai.”

  
A frustrated, _loud_ groan.

 _  
“Akai!”_ Jaek punched him in the arm. “We are supposed to be keeping an eye on our target, not getting her attention!” he hissed, looking towards Zena to make sure she didn’t hear him. But she was still working on the speeder, and well out of earshot- hopefully.

  
“Well I wouldn’t be so annoyed if you just _told_ me what happened,” he shot back. “At least tell me what the guy is like, for fuck’s sake. He’s so kriffing _drab,_ and prim and proper and I just don’t see the appeal. So please, _please_ just throw me a bone and tell me what you see in him.”

  
Jaek held Akai’s pleading gaze for a moment, then let out a heavy sigh. “Fine.”

 _  
“Yesssss!”_ Akai could barely contain his giddiness.

  
“But you can’t tell the others,” Jaek warned, jabbing a finger in his face. “Akai, promise me.”

  
Akai gave him a stern nod. “I promise.”

  
He glared at him a moment longer, then proceeded to fill Akai in. He started by telling him how Hux drew a blaster at him when he first approached, ready to shoot a fucking hole through his chest. And even after he saw it was him- a _knight_ \- Jaek _still_ had to put his hands up in surrender, to show he didn’t have weapons. 

  
From there, he told Akai how it took some coaxing to let him bum a cigarette, but once he did, Hux let him close enough to light his cigarette with his. Then, after smoking in silence together, Hux was actually the one to start a conversation. The whole time sizing him up from the corner of his eye. Hair relaxed, eyes gleaming, higher cheekbones than God. Tall, slim, and strikingly arrogant. Asking him about his time with Master Ren, the other ‘savages,’ as Hux liked to call them. About his loyalty to the First Order, which in return, Jaek laughed. Hux didn’t like that part. But other than that, they got along just fine.  
  


Jaek sighed. “So yeah, that’s it,” he shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. “He’s an asshole, don’t get me wrong. But that's my type."

  
“Well, yeah.” Akai waved a hand. “But, actually? You _really_ only talked?”

  
He nodded in response.

  
Akai frowned. “That’s boring.”

  
“Mm,” Jaek hummed, turning his head to check in on Zena.

  
Akai kept pressing. “Are you going to see him again?”

  
“Maybe,” Jaek responded, distracted as he watched Zena dig in her pocket. “Maybe not.”

  
“Oh, come on. I _see_ the way you look at him. You want a bite of that red velvet cupcake, I just _know_ it. Why don’t you-” 

  
“Hey, Onyx! How’s it going?” A female voice cut Akai off.

  
Through the forest, they could see Zena talking into a black, clunky datapad. Both of them inched forward, crouching, to get a closer view. Her voice carried across the empty clearing to where they were standing, hidden in the trees.

  
“Yeah, yeah,” she said, pacing. “I said I’d be there, right?’

  
More crouching, more stealthily steps forward as Zena paused, listening to the person on the other end. She briefly stopped in her tracks, scratching her head. “I thought we were meeting in neutral territory?”

  
She listened before nodding and resuming her pacing. “Okay, okay. Home base it is.” She smiled, kicking at a rock. Her other hand fidgeting against her pants as she lowered her voice. “I miss you too, hon. See you tomorrow though, can’t wait.” Another smile. “Bye, babe.”

  
She stopped pacing, hung up the call, grinning to herself as she put her datapad away.

  
Jaek glanced at Akai, voice just a whisper. “You got the homing beacon?”

  
Akai pulled out the flashing, circular tracking device and grinned. “Sure do.”

  
He nodded. “Let’s go,” he said, quietly walking towards the clearing. Akai followed. “But remember what Master Ren said: _no_ confrontation.”

  
“But I like confrontation,” Akai pouted.

  
“Shut up, Akai,” he mumbled under his breath.

  
“No, you shut up.”

  
Jaek ignored him. But Akai didn’t seem to take the hint. “Besides, why can’t we just rip the location of her base from her mind?” he whined, keeping his voice low. “That’s so much easier.”

  
Jaek raised his brows, rubbing his temples to alleviate the headache coming on. “Because Master Ren didn’t say we could.”

  
“But why?”

  
“I don’t know, Akai,” he snapped, whipping his head around to look at him. “Ask Master Ren that.”

  
“Fine,” Akai mumbled, crossing his arms. “I will.”

  
“You do that.”

  
“I’m gonna.”

  
“Great,” Jaek said, turning back around to keep walking.

  
A beat. _“Great.”_

 _  
For fuck’s sake._ Jaek took a deep breath. Hoping that if he turned around, he’d have a stroke of good fortune and Akai would have spontaneously combusted.

  
Alas, no such luck. Akai looked right at him as he approached him, shoulders touching. Smiling. 

  
Jaek glared back. Silently warning him not to say another word.

 _  
“Great,”_ Akai mouthed, slowly, and obnoxiously. Like always.

  
“Stars help me,” he mumbled. Stopping right before the break in the trees. Lifting a finger at Akai. “Behave. We can do this in under five minutes.”

  
Akai smiled. “Sure thing.”

  
Powerful stances, even stronger strides, Jaek and Akai broke into the clearing, marching right towards Zena. The sunset painted the sky a brilliant orange, illuminating off of the roaring river like spilled paint. It took her a moment to hear them, but when she did, they immediately sensed her alarm. Oozing out of her at a rapid pace.

  
“Stay back,” she yelled, stumbling backwards. “I, I have a weapon!”

  
Jaek and Akai smiled at her. Not slowing down. They had their Batuuan garb on, but one look at Zena’s face and it was clear that they still looked intimidating even without the sea of black and weapons.

 _  
“Fuck!”_ Zena cursed to herself, before she turned to run inside her shuttle. 

  
But Akai didn’t let her.

  
One outstretch of his hand, Zena was frozen. Couldn't move a muscle as they stepped into her camp. Boots pounding right towards her. Fear rolling off of her in thick waves. So thick, so strong. They could taste it on their tongues.

  
Jaek outstretched his hand, and Akai wordlessly gave the homing beacon to him. Jaek didn’t even slow down as he approached, striding right past her to go inside her shuttle, tracking device in hand.

  
Akai stood in front of her immobilized body. “Hello,” he breathed, flashing her a brilliant smile. “I’m Akai, what’s your name?”

  
Her bottom lip trembled. Her nostrils flared. Hate flared in her eyes. “You’re one of _them,_ aren’t you?” She glanced at him, up and down, lip curled over her teeth. Then spat at his feet. “Fuck you.”

  
Akai smiled, slowly, predatorily. The spike of her adrenaline coursed through him, spread through his veins like wildfire. Causing a low-frequency hum to ring in his ears with excitement.Subconsciously, he took a step closer, towering over her. 

  
“Not interested, but thank you,” he mused, polite as ever.

  
Scowling, Zena gathered the saliva in the back of her throat. Then proceeded to try and spit in his face.

  
But a thrust of his head and the spit veered to the right, falling to the ground. He looked down at it, then back to her. “Tsk, tsk. That wasn’t very nice.” 

  
Voice wavering, body trembling. “You work for the Order, don’t you?” Deep, shaky breaths. “That’s who sent you?”

  
Akai pursed his lips. Was about to tell her everything, just for fun, but Jaek emerged from the shuttle, a grim expression on his face.

  
“Done.” He walked behind Zena, circling her, and situated himself next to Akai, nudging him with his elbow. “Let’s go.”

  
Akai glanced at him. “But I wanted to-”

  
“No.” A glare. _“Let’s go.”_

  
A dejected sigh, and Akai looked back at the shaking Zena. “Well, it’s been lovely, my dear. But time for you to forget all about this.”

  
She blinked rapidly. “What-”

  
Akai put a hand over her face. “We weren’t here.”

  
Every muscle on Zena’s face relaxed. Dark, hazy eyes locked on his. “You weren’t here.”

  
His hand twitched. “You hung up your call, felt tired, and decided to take a nap.”

  
“I hung up my call, felt tired, and decided to take a nap.”

  
“Very good,” he cooed, stepping closer. “You will not remember our faces, nor this conversation.”

  
Like clockwork. “I will not remember your faces, nor this conversation.”

  
Akai dropped his hand. Tilting his head at Zena, dissecting her, as she blankly held eye contact. He stepped even closer, bringing his hand up to softly brush hair out of her eyes. “Lovely,” Akai purred, “now, off to bed you go.”

  
“Off to bed I go,” Zena mumbled, robotically turning away from him. With careful, rigid steps, she approached her shuttle.

  
They both watched her, and Akai sighed forlornly, dramatically, as she disappeared. “Such a shame. She would have been fun to practice the mind grab on.”

  
“Here we go again,” Jaek sighed, brushing past him to walk back to the forest.

  
One last glance at the shuttle and Akai ran after him, bumping into Jaek as they exited the clearing. Threw an elbow into his ribcage. “Whattaya wanna do now?”

  
Jaek focused ahead of him, moving low-hanging branches out of his way. “Eat.”

  
Akai hopped over a large rock. “I know what we should get.”

  
“Oh, yeah?” he humored him, distracted. 

  
“Yep.” A beat. “Red velvet cupcakes.”

  
Jaek stopped. Stood up straight, and looked right at Akai for a full minute. Eyes narrowed and not returning Akai’s grin. Before wordlessly storming away from him.

  
Akai frowned. “Hey, come back!” he yelled, following after him. “I thought that was funny!”

  
“You are _never_ funny, Akai!” An irritated grunt. “Now, we are playing the quiet game. Shut up.” 

  
“But-”

_  
“Starting now.”_

  
Akai frowned, shoulders hunched down as he trailed after Jaek. Offended.

_  
Zakra thinks I’m funny._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun dun dun
> 
> Fixated will be updated this week. 👀


	7. Spaghetti Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zakra, Kane, and Shiro get some unexpected company at spaghetti night. D-98 learns about Zakra and Kane’s past. 
> 
> [This takes place about thirty minutes after chapter [ 23 ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18774385/chapters/56874877) of Fixated]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Read about/see my knights[ here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1atpuK9dTb7kByhonl6SNQRD3UbB04jGniQSQNSwch2o/edit)** & listen to their playlist [ here. ](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/10GwSCMsv4r8bCxXoIz77K?si=pDMXyhBgRQC2z4AP7Okg0w)
> 
> **also:** a big thank you to @delicatelyherdreams for editing this! my brain was mush and she helped it not suck. also, she reminded me of something that I should mention to my readers: I do not follow canon whatsoever. I just take bits and pieces I like from the SW galaxy and squish it all together to fit my own Fixated agenda. just keep that in mind :) also, go read her amazing soft-boi kylo fic [ here.](https://www.archiveofourown.org/works/21626050/chapters/51568999)
> 
> enjoy bbs!

### 

Spaghetti Night

_Thank the stars things are back to normal,_ Zakra mused, looking down at his plate of spaghetti.

The last few weeks had been chaotic, to say the least. When he thought about it, Zakra wasn’t sure which part of it was more complicated; traveling to, and then _blending_ in on Batuu was already a tall order in the first place.

But then there was that run-in with Oga Garra, followed by the necessity of appeasing her too. The knights, Zakra included, didn't understand why they couldn't just kill her and get it over with. They were _this_ close to ending her, _this_ close to taking out her entire team as a light warm-up before they departed. But, in the end, the General insisted that meeting her demands actually served the First Order, not Oga herself.

So, just like always, the First Order came out on top. Well, they did lose out on 200,000 credits, but that really was just pocket change for them, so that didn't matter. What mattered was that the two ships they gifted her were equipped with enough tracking devices to watch her every move for six _thousand_ lifetimes. And on top of that, the twenty-one men the First Order deployed to Black Spire Outpost would report back directly to Hux himself. Of course Oga was smart enough to anticipate that, so Hux also deployed an undercover division to ensure the Resistance didn't come back and try to plant their “treacherous roots” on Batuuan soil.

Zakra sighed. Then there was the business with the Resistance spy. Finding her was easy enough and the assignment itself went fairly smoothly, but then, _of course,_ something had to go wrong: D-98 snuck out to warn her. Which, honestly, Zakra didn't blame her. He understood why she did it. She didn't have a militaristic mind or heart; she had a _soft_ heart. And truthfully, it was Master Ren's mistake for thinking she could so easily watch someone die without trying to stop it.

The other knights though, they didn't get it. They weren't mad at her, per se, they just didn't _understand._ And they didn't understand why Master Ren seemed to be so calm about it all. But Zakra assumed it had to do with D-98 falling dangerously ill upon arrival- it's hard to yell at your girlfriend when she isn't even conscious.

Instead, he saved the yelling for someone else. Shiro. _Fucking Shiro._

Zakra frowned, lifting his head to take a peek at the hulking, light-eyed knight hunched over his plate of food, sitting across from him in the cafeteria, inhaling his pasta like it was the last meal he’d ever eat. Beside Zakra, elbow touching his, Kane focused on his own food. It was nice having him here- usually he didn’t stick around to finish his entire meal with the rest of them. But since the others were still training, Kane’s fuse wasn’t as short as usual. It felt normal- _nice,_ to just sit here and soak up his company. And if it weren’t for Shiro’s incessant slurping, it would be peaceful, too.

“I feel those beady eyes on me,” Shiro grumbled, mouth full of food. He didn’t even make eye contact. “Knock it off.”

  
  


_Beady?_ Zakra’s brows drew together. “Do you even know what that word means?”

“Uh-huh,” Shiro grunted. “It means stop-looking-at-me, fucker shit.”

Zakra rolled his eyes, picking up his fork again to dive into his dinner. Shiro had been testy since they arrived back on the Finalizer thirteen days ago, and tonight he was exceptionally sour. He didn’t tell Zakra what happened directly, but he didn’t need to. He knew that it was because Master Ren had to have a talk with him about his girlfriend- _again._

_Which makes for two serious warnings in the span of two weeks._ Zakra glanced at him again. _Dumb fuck._

Apparently, on the third day, D-98 was in the med-bay, delusional and near hallucinogenic, she called out Shiro’s name. Zakra didn’t know all the details since he heard all of this through Mika and that man is one forgetful motherfucker, but word is she said his name during a fever dream. Mumbling nonsense about “being in the picture” with Kylo. And when Master Ren touched her, she jolted back, saying something along the lines of, _“Please Shiro, Kylo will kill you.”_

Zakra felt Master Ren’s anger from the med-bay all the way in his quarters, on the entire opposite side of the ship. They _all_ did.

Whether D-98 was well enough to tell him what happened in the forest, or whether he pulled it from her fevered mind, Zakra didn’t know. It didn’t matter, the results were the same: if Shiro engaged with D-98 in any way other than to 1) train her, 2) protect her from harm, or 3) save her life, Master Ren would reassign him to Starkiller Base- alone. And just like Zakra, Shiro didn’t do well alone. In fact, he-

Shiro belched so loud, Zakra jumped.

“For star’s sake,” Kane grumbled. “You have the manners of a fucking Hutt, do you know that?”

Shiro wiped his mouth, setting his gaze on Kane from across the table. Glared at him, expressionless. Pounded his chest three times with his fist. Then proceeded to burp even louder.

“Alright,” Kane breathed. “That’s enough Shiro for one night.”

Shiro just shrugged. “Suit yourself, old man.”

Kane pinched the bridge of his nose. “Three years older than you, Shiro. Three.”

“Physically.” Shiro took a noisy gulp of his water. “But sixty-six in spirit.”

“Maybe if you weren’t a _toddler_ in spirit, you wouldn’t be in this sticky situation in the first place,” he shot back. “Have you thought about that?” 

Shiro narrowed his eyes. “Watch it.”

“No.” Kane had officially reached his limits for the night- Zakra could tell. _“You_ watch it.”

“Wanna fight old man?” Shiro sat up straight. “Or are you too afraid of breaking a hip?”

Kane chuckled humorlessly. “You insolent little shit. I would destroy you and you _know_ it.”

This time, Shiro laughed. Loudly, obnoxiously. “You’re so cute when you're mad. Has anyone ever told you that?”

“Here we go,” Zakra mumbled. _So much for a peaceful night._

“Cute? _Cute?”_ Kane’s words dripped with contempt. “Let’s take this-”

He stopped, his head whipping towards the blast doors. All of them tensing and vibrating with an energy that was unmistakably Master Ren’s. Not only that, but they also sensed that he wasn't alone.

“Fuck,” Shiro muttered, running his hand through his hair. Panicking. “Why are they _here?_ He never comes here. Is he even _allowed_ to be here? Why can’t he eat where the Supreme Leaders eat? Ya know, not here, where-”

“Shiro, calm down.” Zakra kept his voice low, soft. “You will only make things worse.”

“Easy for you to say,” he snapped back. “You’re not one word away from being sent to die on a fucking ice planet swarming with a bunch of scrawny-ass Bucketheads.”

“We warned you to back off,” Kane muttered. “But what did you do instead?” He paused just long enough for Shiro to throw daggers at him. “You told her you loved her.”

“I didn’t say that,” he hissed. “I saved her _life._ And—”

Kane exhaled dramatically, cutting him off, and shrugged one shoulder. “Guess you should listen to your elders next time, little boy.”

“Shut _up,”_ Zakra snapped at both of them. “They’re coming right for us.”

Kane sipped his ale, indifferent, while Shiro just glared at him. His shoulders stilling, tensing, as Master Ren and Dee made their way across the length of the cafeteria. Their footsteps echoed off the walls as silence enveloped the entire room. Zakra wasn’t surprised- the same thing happened when he and his brothers walked in the cafeteria, too. But this time, Zakra could almost _taste_ the fear hanging in the air.

“Master Ren,” Kane and Zakra said in unison, standing up. Shiro stood up last, rigidly turning towards him to give him a nod. “Master Ren.”

Kylo didn’t say anything. He just took off his helmet and placed it on the table with a _thud._

“Hi, guys.” Dee waved at them, smiling. Playing with her fingers as she stood by Kylo’s side. “How’s the spaghetti?”

“Hi, D-98. It’s delicious,” Zakra offered, smiling at her. He was trying _very_ hard not to acknowledge the fact that she looked _beautiful._ Actually, beautiful would be an understatement. Bright eyes, flushed cheeks, lips tinged a deeper shade of pink than usual- like she was wearing lipstick earlier. Her body was wrapped in that dress from Batuu, the form-fitting, maroon one, with black heels and a matching black bow tied around her high pony-tail. 

Even Kane seemed to notice- he shifted uncomfortably next to him, clearing his throat. Shiro did the same, but his eyes were glued to the floor.

“First, please call me Dee. Second,” she mused, looking up at Kylo, “shall we? I’m _starved.”_

“I’ll get it for you.” Kylo pulled out the chair at the furthest end, away from Shiro. “Have a seat.”

Dee was about to sit down, but she suddenly stopped, her face lighting up. “Oh, look, it’s Kip!” She waved enthusiastically at someone to her right. 

All three of the knights turned their heads to look at the person waving back at her- a ‘trooper in plain clothes. He looked friendly enough, but the Stormtrooper's smile dissipated as he promptly looked away the moment he caught their gaze.

_Figures._

Buzzing with excitement, Dee’s eyes darted to Kylo. “Hey, do you mind if I go say hi?”

“No.” Kylo glanced at the ‘trooper before looking back down at Dee. “Go ahead, Scholar.”

“Thank you.” Dee smiled, moving closer towards him. She placed her hand on his forearm and hesitated briefly before getting on her tippy toes to reach his face. Master Ren looked down at her, his expression giving nothing away, as she planted a kiss on his cheek. 

As Dee left, Zakra and Kane moved to sit down, and Shiro grabbed his tray to leave. 

“Wait,” Kylo demanded, raising a hand.

Shiro froze, hovering above his chair with his tray in hand. “Master?”

He kept his voice low. “Jawa.”

Kane and Zakra sat up straight in their seats, and Shiro tensed, too. “Is it time?”

Kylo’s eye twitched. “Yes. We are going to Vardos.”

Kane tapped his fingers on the table. “Anything you need.”

“I need you to stay here.” 

Zakra could feel Kane’s disappointment, but he agreed all the same. “Yes, Master.”

“You too.” Kylo pointed his chin towards Zakra. “Your protection services are needed aboard the flagship.”

Zakra glanced over at Dee, who was still talking animatedly with Kip. “Dee, sir?”

“Yes.”

“Won’t let her out of our sight, Master.”

Kylo held up a finger at them. “We leave in exactly ninety hours, upon our return from our next assignment. Understood?”

“Yes, Master.”

Master Ren’s gaze drifted along each of them before he gave them all a curt nod. Without another word, he parted from the table to weave through the cafeteria. First Order officers jumped to attention at the sight, some of them very noticeably terrified at his presence. But, per the usual, he didn’t acknowledge them. 

“Vardos, huh,” Shiro muttered, hovering above the table with his tray in hand. “That will be eventful.”

Kane snorted. “For you. We’ll be stuck babysitting.”

“How fitting.” Shiro smirked at him, smug as ever, before strutting away from them. “Goodnight, Zakra,” he called out, nonchalant. “Goodnight, Grandpa Kane.”

Kane mumbled into his water glass. “I hate that man.”

“I know you do.” 

Zakra looked at his plate, directing his attention back to his spaghetti. His mind swirling with the news on Vardos. He would love the opportunity to end somebody like _Jawa,_ but he didn’t mind missing out on the fight. It was bound to be a massacre, and he didn’t have that same itch to fight like his brother did- like they _all did._ And they’ve all been waiting to get to Vardos; it was long overdue. Master Ren was supposed to take care of Jawa right after Batuu, two weeks ago, but because D-98 got sick, he refused to leave her side until she was well enough. 

And, well, looking at her in that dress and that adorable black ribbon, walking right towards them with the Supreme Leader by her side, it seemed like she certainly felt well enough for him to leave. 

After they reached the table, Kylo pulled out the seat for her. “Sit.”

“Thank you,” she murmured, glancing at him before taking a seat. She took a moment to get situated before looking across the table. “So, how are you two? Are you ready for tomorrow?” She didn’t let them answer. “Kylo just told me that we are going to _Naboo,_ of all places. Isn’t that cool?”

Kane hummed at her, taking massive bites of his spaghetti. Not paying her much mind at all.  
  


So, naturally, Zakra made up for his lack of enthusiasm. “Yeah, it’s awesome! Mika told us it’s absolutely beautiful there.”

“Yep!” she chirped, picking up her fork to dig in. She twirled some pasta around her fork, and then some more, and then some _more._ She didn’t stop until she had a massive glob of noodles wrapped around it, and then promptly stuffed it into her mouth, chewing enthusiastically, not sloppily- but just with _excitement_ and devouring her food.

_Clearly, Dee doesn’t fuck around during spaghetti night, either._ Zakra raised his brows. _Impressive._

Next to her, Kylo ate rather similarly, albeit less gracefully. Zakra had to blink a few times to adjust to the scene before him. He couldn’t remember the last time he shared a meal with the Supreme Leader- that night in Peka was the first time in _ages_ that they even spent time together without an objective to complete. It was odd but definitely not bad. 

And something he could get used to.

“Oh, so, also,” Dee breathed, finally taking a break from eating. “I read that the Theed Royal Palace has a bunch of intricate, underground tunnels, designed back in 832 BBY. They sound _fascinating."_ Dee grinned, eyes bright as she excitedly glanced at the Supreme Leader. “Maybe we can take a tour?”

“Yes.” Master Ren didn’t look up from his plate, he was too invested in spearing another meatball with his fork. “We can escort you through them, if you wish.”

“Yes! Thank you,” she gushed, bringing her attention back across the table. Her smile tumbled off her face when she was met with two twins, looking at her rather blankly.

“Uhm,” she started, timid, “is that something you’d like to see, too? I wouldn’t want to make you guys join if you didn’t want to, you know.”

Kane said what they were both thinking: “It doesn’t matter. We go wherever Master Ren wants us to go.”

Zakra frowned, watching how the excitement drained from her face. Again, he made up for Kane’s less-than-enthused response. 

“I’d like to see them, too, Dee.” He looked at her, then Master Ren, hoping for some type of approval. But he didn’t look up from his plate- he was _really_ enjoying those meatballs.

Dee clapped her hands. “Great, we can-”

Kane cut her off. “Zakra, you’re afraid of small, underground spaces.”

He winced, looking at his brother beside him. 

Before he could make up some lie, insisting that he wasn’t, Dee interjected, “You’re afraid of small spaces?” She tilted her head at him, a small smile tracing her lips. “Is it because you can’t fit in them?”

Next to her, Kylo made a small noise of amusement. She glanced at him for a second, watching him, before looking back across the table.

Zakra tried to laugh it off. “Nah. Honestly, I don’t mind them. I would enjoy seeing the tunnels- really. Anyways-”

“Zakra,” Kane insisted, stubborn as a fucking mule, _“Burnin Konn.”_

_Goddammit, Kane,_ Zakra thought, closing his eyes. Hearing those two little words felt like picking at a scab. He didn’t feel like getting into why he didn’t like small spaces- he didn’t want to open any old, painful wounds. _Especially_ not at the dinner table.

“Burnin Konn?” Dee asked, pushing her half-eaten plate to the side. “The mining world in the Outer Rim?”

_Here we go._

Kane continued. “Yes.”

“Huh,” Dee mused, eyes unfocused as Master Ren tugged at her plate, pulling it towards him so he could finish her leftovers. She didn’t acknowledge him as she played with the pendant around her neck. “What does Burnin Konn have to do with the tunnels underneath the palace?”

“Nothing,” Zakra breathed, his shoulders slumping down with the exhale. “But it’s where we are from, that’s it.”

“Oh?” She looked excited. “Were you a miner before...” she started, gesturing all around her, “this?”

Zakra bit his lip. “Not exactly.”

Dee just looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate. He didn’t. An awkward silence surrounded the table as Kylo finished off Dee’s plate, and as Zakra picked at his own. It wasn’t until Kane noisily stood up, pushing in his chair with a _screech,_ that the silence was broken.

“Master Ren.” He grabbed his tray. “I’d like to retire if that’s alright.”

  
  


Kylo looked at him. Wiped his mouth and stood up too, his hand finding Dee’s shoulder as he did. “I’ll walk you out.”

Zakra glanced up at both of them, confused at why Kylo wanted to ‘walk’ him out. But looking between them, Zakra caught a shared glance that told him what he needed to know: Master Ren needed to talk to him about something he couldn’t reveal in front of Dee.

“Bye, Kane,” Dee smiled, looking up at him. “See you tomorrow.”

Kane smiled at her. Well, kind of. He wasn’t the best at emoting, but one corner of this mouth twitched up into something that could possibly resemble a smile.

“Goodnight, brother,” Zakra offered, sticking out a fist for him to bump. Kane crashed his knuckles against his and took his leave.

“I’ll be back soon, Scholar.” Kylo looked down at her from behind, his hands resting on her shoulders. “Save me some dessert.”

“No promises,” she hummed. Twisting her head back so she could look up at him. Peering up at him with those doe eyes that made Zakra’s heart hurt, just a bit. _Oh, to be looked at like that…._

With a twitch of his lip, Master Ren left the table- just a black mass striding through a sea of First Order personnel. Dee’s eyes followed him until he disappeared entirely, before turning back towards Zakra and jumping straight to the point.

“So. Burnin Konn,” Dee said, leaning back into her chair. “I can tell it’s a sore subject.”

_Was it that obvious?_ Zakra froze, spaghetti hanging from his mouth. He scrambled to suck it down, to give her a response besides just staring at her like an idiot. 

Dee offered a warm, encouraging smile. “You don’t have to tell me, really.” She sat forward, her bottom lip disappearing into her mouth momentarily. Hesitantly, she slid her hand across the table, and placed it on top of his. “I just wanted to let you know- I like you, Zakra. You’re a good guy. And if you ever wanted to talk about anything, I’m here.”

He blinked at her. “Wow. Um. That’s…”

Zakra was at a loss of words. A strange feeling radiated in his chest. He knew that she was warm and caring and almost _too_ sweet, but this- this was different. She wanted to know about _his_ past. She _cared_ enough to know about his past. Genuinely cared- he could feel it. It made him want to share, to talk about it. To share the burden with someone else other than his twin. 

While he just stared at her like an idiot, she gave his hand a light squeeze. “I’m sorry if I’m coming on too strong. Just, the look on your face when Kane brought your home planet up- I _get_ it. Trust me.” 

A strained exhale came tumbling through his lips. “Thank you for that. It’s just…” Zakra trailed off, his chest rising and falling with heavy, exaggerated movements. “It’s _a lot;_ I’m not sure if you want to hear all of it. And I don’t want to upset you.”

“Nonsense,” she insisted. Dee slipped her hand off of his, leaning back into her chair to get comfortable. “If you’re okay with sharing, I’m all ears.” 

“Okay, well,” Zakra started, slowly. He sat back in his seat too, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Our mother died in childbirth. Our father- apparently, he was with us until we were six months old. Couldn’t handle a newborn, let alone two of them, so he left us. Last time I heard, he died in a mining accident.”

From across the table, Dee’s face crumpled in pain. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright- I didn’t know the guy.” Zakra shrugged. “But his brother raised us instead. Bad guy. _Real_ bad guy. He forced me and Kane to work in the mines and extract chromium from the passageways that the other miners couldn’t reach.” He paused, taking a slow sip of ale, as Dee watched him intently with wide, sad eyes, empathy radiating from her.  
  


Zakra shifted in his seat, unsure of how to react to it. He wasn’t used to this type of attention- it made him feel _vulnerable._

Rolling the glass idly between his fingers, he continued, his voice just a low rumble. “We were just small enough to fit. We’d be under there for thirteen hours a day- no sunlight, no food, no supervision. It was all very _lawless._ And dangerous. There were at least a handful of fatal accidents a _week_ there.” 

“Oh my stars, Zakra. I am so, so sorry.” She sat forward, her elbows connecting with the tabletop. “Were you guys in an accident? Is that why you don’t like small spaces?”

“Yes.” Zakra’s lips pressed together in a hard line. “And it would have been fatal, if it weren’t for Kane, and the Force.”

Dee raised her brows. “The Force?”

“Mhm.” Another sip of his ale. "One day, on our eleventh hour down there, there was a partial tunnel collapse. Rocks, soil, debris- it all came tumbling down on me. Thankfully, I was lodged into a pocket of space so the rocks didn’t crush me to death. But I was trapped, and eventually, I’d run out of air.

“Kane tried _everything._ He tried moving the rocks by hand. He dug for quite some time- it felt like hours. But it wasn’t enough. It was too heavy. I knew I was going to die by the time the night was up, but I was strangely calm. I think it’s because Kane was a _mess._ He felt responsible for it. Even then, at age twelve, he was _so_ fucking... _decent."_ Zakra sighed. “I kept trying to tell him it was alright, that if he went out and got help, it would all be okay- knowing full well that no one would care enough to assist us. But when Kane finally realized that- that was the first I ever saw him break down. Actually,” Zakra said, rubbing his chin, “I think that’s the _last_ time I’ve ever seen him cry, too. But that’s beside the point.”

Dee made a small noise of acknowledgment from across the table but otherwise kept quiet, her eyes fixated on his face, holding onto his every word. Just listening.

“Anyways, he was working himself up into a panic. So I started talking to him quietly. It's...well, we used to do this weird thing as kids- kind of like meditating, to help us not be afraid. Looking back, we realized it was the Force at play all along, but we didn’t know it at the time. So I was helping Kane pull it together down there, and he was taking deep breaths, you know- meditating. And all of a sudden, the rocks just _lifted._ One by one. I don’t think Kane even realized he was doing it until he opened his eyes and I had already climbed out. _Thankfully,_ because the second he did open them, they all dropped.” Zakra shook his head, chuckling. “That would have been something, huh? Getting me out of that hole just to squash my head in with a floating boulder.”

That last bit just hung in the air between them, as Dee just looked at him with her mouth agape. Before muttering to herself, her soft voice barely audible. “Oh. My. Gods.” She blinked rapidly. “That’s so… _impressive.”_

“Impressive?” Zakra’s lip twitched down. “I don't know about that.”

She gawked at him. “Uh, yeah, Zakra, it’s _incredible._ Two young, Force-sensitive boys, stuck in a mineshaft, saved by unknowingly using the Force. That's insane.” She shook her head in disbelief. “So, then what? Did you freak out about the floating rocks? When did you realize it was the Force? What did you _do?_ How did you get out of there?”

“Woah, woah, woah.” Zakra laughed. “One question at a time.”

“Sorry,” she muttered, cheeks burning red. “I don’t mean to be annoying.”

“Oh, no, _no._ It’s not annoying at all,” Zakra insisted, reaching across the table to grab her hand this time. He gave it a small squeeze. “It’s endearing- really. I don’t think anyone has _ever_ asked me this many questions about… well, anything. It’s nice, so thank you.”

“Oh, okay.” She looked down at his hand, a smile tracing her lips, before eagerly looking back up at him. “Well in _that_ case, please go on. What happened after you got out of the tunnel?”

Zakra pulled back, sighing. “The rest is kinda heavy, and I’d rather we talk about it at another time- preferably with a whiskey.” He chortled to himself, but a sadness started to seize his heart. “The general gist of it is, we told our uncle, and four days later he sold us off to an even _worse_ man that tried to extort us for our power. We were with him for a few years until a man that called himself ‘Ren’ sought us out, and took us in.”

Dee cocked her head to the side. “You mean.. Kylo?”

“No. Just ‘Ren.’ He was kind of a nut job, to be honest. The day _your_ Ren took his place was a blessing to the galaxy, but I’m sure he told you all about that.”

Dee just looked at him. “He didn’t.”

_You dumb fuck._ “Oh, I mean, I’m sure he will. One day. Or maybe you can ask him? It’s nothing exciting really- or important. But yeah he just killed him, and took over. It was- I mean, I don’t know,” Zakra babbled, his cheeks getting hot. “Ask him, maybe?” 

_You stupid, stupid man._

Dee handled it with grace. “It’s alright. I’m sure he’ll fill me in later,” she smiled, brushing it off. “But anyways, Zakra- _thank_ you for sharing that with me. No child should have to go through what you did. It's just terrible, and I _feel_ for you.”

“It's okay, really. It wasn’t _all_ bad,” Zakra said, slowly. “We had a nice aunt. And we had strawberries almost every _single_ night after we worked.”

“Oh? Strawberries?” Dee’s eyes lit up. “I know they’re hard to find, but I _love_ strawberries.”

“Me too!” Zakra pounded the table with excitement, and Dee threw her head back to laugh. He joined in with her before continuing. “Ah man, it was great. Really. We had this one old neighbor- I _swear,_ she must have been 110 years old. Her son was a smuggler, but not the bad kind. Burnin Konn was nearly inhabitable, so all of our goods were imported. Real basic things, you know, like pasta and other whole grains.”

“Ah, pasta. That makes sense,” Dee winked, gesturing towards his empty plate. 

“Ha.” He playfully rolled his eyes. “But yeah, we only had stuff like that. Never any vegetables, or fruit. Except my neighbor- her son would bring her cartons and cartons of strawberries. I mean, so many fucking strawberries, okay? So she would always bring them to me and Kane. It was the highlight of my entire _week."_

A smile split across her face. “That’s so sweet. And your aunt, you said she was nice?” 

“Yeah. Aunt Rona.” He nodded his head. “She was terminally ill but very, very nice to us. Actually-” Zakra paused, digging underneath his shirt to yank on the chain around his neck. A sense of comfort poured over him as his warm hand enclosed around a small, scratched up ring- the only token from his childhood that represented something other than despair. He held it out for Dee to see, and she leaned across the table to get a better look.

“This was hers,” he mumbled, looking down as he played with it between his calloused fingers. “She gave it to Kane the day she died. But she meant to give it to me. She was so sick, she had a hard time telling us apart. On her deathbed, she…” Zakra swallowed, the emotion welling in his chest surprising him. He hadn’t talked about this in, well, _ever._ His brothers knew about his past, but he didn’t divulge too much about it, neither did Kane. So they didn’t press.

Dee’s deep exhale caught his attention. She was looking at him from across the table, hand over her chest, tears in her eyes. Hanging on to his every word.

He swallowed. If _she_ started to cry, he would feel terrible. The last thing he wanted to do was make her sad. “Hey, it’s okay- I’m fine.” Zakra offered her a sad smile. “Really, it’s okay. I like remembering her. She was a kind woman.”

She just nodded at him, holding back tears.

Zakra sat forward, swallowing the emotion that threatened to spill from him, too. Hand still wrapped around the ring. “She, uh, she gave it to Kane and said, _‘take this, Zakra, and give it to the woman that earns that good heart of yours.’”_ He had to clear his throat. “Kane was good about it, he didn't correct her. He just handed it to me after, and I haven’t been without it since.”

A single tear rolled down her cheek. “Wow. That's... that's beautiful.”

“Yeah.” Zakra held on to the ring for a few moments longer, before tucking it safely back into his undershirt. "And I will have it forever since I know the ladies aren't lining up to steal this so-called good heart of mine." Zakra chuckled, but not out of humor- he was just afraid his emotions would overcome him if he didn't. He quickly changed the subject, resituating so he could drape an arm across the length of the chair next to him. "So, Naboo will be fun, huh?"

Dee opened her mouth to respond, but closed it just as fast. He could tell she wanted to say more about what they were talking about- he could feel the empathy rolling off of her in thick waves, but he was grateful when she followed his lead and moved on.

"Yeah, totally." Dee cleared her throat. "Though I'm surprised the locals actually _invited_ us there. Especially since they've openly opposed the First Order for, what? The last ten years?"

"Longer, I think." Zakra shrugged. "But-" 

The sound of the blast doors opening was the first cue that the Supreme Leader had returned. The way the chatter fizzled out and then ceased altogether was the second.

  
Dee turned around in her chair, perking up, as he strode right over to their table. Zakra sat up straight, placing his hands in his lap. Suddenly feeling very, very tired. He knew he should go to bed soon to get ready for tomorrow. But he was contemplating getting more pasta- he was in need of some comfort food.

  
This time, Kylo was the first to acknowledge him as he stopped at the table. “Zakra.”  
  


He nodded at him. “Master Ren.”

  
Kylo turned his attention to his girlfriend. “Finished, Scholar?”

  
"Yep.” She craned her neck to meet his gaze, a smirk tugging at her lips. "How about that dessert, hm?"

  
“Sure.” A beat, then Kylo walked around her, grabbing his helmet that he left on the table. He slipped it over his head with one fell swoop, then held out his hand for her to take. "But let’s have it in your quarters."  
  


_Oh heavens._ Zakra awkwardly looked down at his plate. He was currently single and had never had a _real_ girlfriend before, but he had an idea of why he wanted to get back to her quarters. And one glance up at Dee, and the way her cheeks burned red, told him that he was right.

  
Zakra sighed. _Fuck it. I’m having more spaghetti._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> poor zakra bb. 
> 
> as for Fixated- ch 24 is in the works now. I think I told my TVD readers this, but my personal life is a mess so updates have been slow. I haven't abandoned it and there is A LOT to come <3
> 
> hope everyone is okay! much love to you all.


End file.
